Adventure of a Lifetime
by animexxfreakxx
Summary: With rather unruly orange curls and strength that can put any man to shame, Curly Monalisa strives to live a life full of adventure- unlike her first. Reincarnate-Oc
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

* * *

 _"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?"_

Often, she found herself thinking those exact words over and over again. Not because she remembered them to be from one of favorite songs of all time, but because they applied to her situation so much at the moment. She couldn't make out if what she was experiencing at that moment was a part of her imagination – her dreaming such things was common, _if she remembered correctly_ – or if it was truly real.

But she found it hard to believe, honestly. She just couldn't believe something like this to be real. The part about her dying had been easy to accept – because she does remember being run over by a truck. But this... This was something she couldn't bring herself to believe.

Blue-green eyes stare right back at her as she looked into the mirror. A hand reached up and touched the young, chubby face and the warmth of her – _no this can't be my body!_ – skin spreads across her palm. The cheeks were slightly flushed and soft orange – _is orange hair even possible?! –_ curls plastered to her forehead.

"Is this really me?" Her voice matched her childlike features and the young child moved back from the mirror, her pupils dilating at every step she took. She didn't know why she couldn't look away; she didn't want to look at this face any more. It wasn't _hers._

None of this was hers.

 _So where are mine?_

* * *

Never once did she step out of her room. It made the others that lived in the house rather worried. But she didn't care – at that moment, she didn't care for people that weren't her. Besides, it wasn't like if they were her real family, why should she care about these strangers?

Now that she thought about it... she wondered if her real family were okay.

Food was often brought to her door and she would eat it. A rough voice that was feminine would often accompany it, and sometimes she thought that the person would bust the door down if given the chance, but it seemed as if she was always calmed down before she could do it.

She remembered that the voice belonged to an overly large woman with manly features and long, orange, curled hair. She remembered referring to her as mother once.

The girl also thought that she and the manly woman were the only females in this house. Every other time she peeked out the window in her room, she would see mostly men and from what she remembered seeing before she had locked herself in, only men were around. That wasn't what freaked her out anyway, they all looked too suspicious to be just normal people. They reminded her of crooks with their rough talk and the weapons she remembered seeing some of them carrying.

Not only had she somehow been reincarnated, but she had come to be a child of some criminal. Not something you would like. Children of criminals often wound up following in their parents' footsteps because that was the only route for them to take. Anything else and they could either end up in jail or dead. She doesn't want to die again. She didn't want to accept this either.

She remembered when she had finally come to terms with this - the fact that she was dead and she had to deal with it. How she had raised her head from the pillow and had finally decided she couldn't just lie here moping. No one was going to come help her - no one she wanted anyway. She had had to come to terms with the fact that that life before was over and this was her new one.

She was alive, that was the best part. All of this was just her second chance, right? She shouldn't be so angry and sad over it anymore. She had locked herself long enough in the room.

Her eyes slipped back to the door and she cringed away from it. She wanted to leave the room and apologize to everyone, but part of her thought that she didn't need to apologize – it's not every day you find yourself in some child's body! But she knew she had worried these people. They, after all, cared for the little girl in whose body she was stuck in. Although she didn't know them personally –the memories didn't count – the least she could do is try to be a little more civil.

It had only been a week – if she counted the strokes she kept in the small notebook under the pillow correctly – since she had locked herself in her room after she had awoken.

The process of her remembering her past life had been abrupt. The memories had just started filtering in one evening as she helped one of the men put away the plates used for eating. The sudden influx of memories had startled her to drop the plate she was holding, and she had collapsed. Afterwards, she had woken up to find herself in her room. She hadn't left it ever since, unless it was to go to the bathroom to clean up. Other than that she avoided everyone – had even yelled at them to not step foot into the room.

Banging on the door made her jump, and her eyes turned back to the door.

"Oi! Mora, you gotta come out and eat today!"

"That's not her name, idiot. It's Monalisa. What are you even following me around for? Go away!"

"Shut up, Ace! I forgot okay? And I want Morisa to come out just as much as you do!"

Well she _tried_ to avoid everyone. Two certain people just happened to always bug her to come out of her room for the past week. At first, she had found it annoying but now...

Now... maybe she should follow their advice and get out.

Getting up from the small bed, Monalisa – _it's not Suzanne anymore –_ walked to the door. Her small hand closed around the knob and slowly turned it and pulled the door open. She had decided this morning to just remove the chair from the door as she had thought it was time to face everyone once again.

Peeking out, she was met with the two youngsters that were around her age. If she remembered correctly, the one that had yelled first just a moment ago was the younger of the two and also the one that had started to live with them a little before Monalisa had had her little accident. He was slightly taller than her and wore a very large straw hat – she remembered seeing it on someone else a while back – that shadowed his short dark hair and much of his face when it slid down. Monalisa remembered that he was seven – being two years older than her and his name was Luffy.

At the moment he was facing the boy that was not only taller than him by a good four inches but was also older than him by three years, who had lived with Monalisa and her supposed family ever since she could remember. He also sported black hair that was longer and freckles spread across his cheeks. An annoyed expression currently covered his face as he glared right back at Luffy. She recognized him as the second to speak. His name was Ace, if she recalled correctly.

Removing herself from the doorway, she walked forward to greet the duo by tapping Ace on the shoulder.

Ace and Luffy didn't seem to have noticed the girl coming out of the room as they were too absorbed in their bickering to pay attention. Feeling the tap, Ace looked behind him to find Monalisa. The irritation increased at being interrupted, but he quickly masked it, seeing it was she who had touched him.

"Eh? Mota, you came out! Finally we can eat!" Luffy's loud voice caused drew her eyes behind Ace to see the young boy with a big grin on his features. He moved from behind Ace and enveloped the girl in a hug that made Monalisa stumble from the sudden added weight. "Let's go eat!"

"You finally decided to come out." Ace gave Luffy a glare – which the boy pretty much ignored.

"Um, y-yeah." Monalisa winced as Luffy continued to squeeze her – she remembered the boy had taken a liking to her because of her constantly defending him from Ace's terrible treatment of him. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone."

"Hmph, now that you're out that old hag can leave me alone and I can eat in peace." Ace sneered looking away from the two as he walked away.

"Mhmmm! Let's eat now!"

* * *

"I see it was only the threat of taking food away that got you out of that room, eh Mona." Curly Dadan stood glaring down at the sheepish looking girl before the glare leaves her face and the orange haired woman let out a sigh. "Don't do it again, ya hear?"

"R-right!" Monalisa wouldn't say she was scared of the woman that she called mother, but the woman knew how to be intimidating.

"You have a week's worth of chores waiting for you tomorrow! Don't let what happened last week happen again."

It seemed that Monalisa had really done it this time. She was always up to something – as far as she could remember, anyway; like that time she snuck out of the house and had found herself in Foosha village; Dadan hadn't been too happy then either. Or those times she didn't really want to clean with the others and often received a hit to the head for it.

She guessed she was a troublemaker back then, now that she thought about it. Even after regaining her past memories, Monalisa was still known for her mischievous acts and smart mouth. That was something she didn't have to pretend to do as she was naturally a smart mouth.

Although she had not accompanied Luffy, Ace and Sabo – someone who she had been introduced to a little while after – on their adventures, they were still close enough and she often found herself getting into fights with Ace over Luffy's welfare. They were around enough for her to grow close.

She was close enough with them that when she had heard of Sabo's death, she had cried – it was a shocker. He was only ten. _Ten._ – over having lost such a dear friend. She was close enough that when she saw Luffy and Ace training constantly, she joined in – much to Ace's annoyance. She was close enough that she found herself constantly worrying over the two and would often berate them for their recklessness. She was close enough to the point that she viewed them as family, just as much as she viewed Dadan and the members of the Dadan bandits as family. Which she amusedly realizes didn't take long.

Monalisa – she no longer dwelled on her name change – knew how soft she was and how easy it was for her to grow close to those around her and begin to love them. Her father would often state she was a big softie under her hard exterior.

 _Nice to know there's still a piece of Suzanne left._

Often she found herself alone with her mother; then the woman would comb her hair. Unlike her usual roughness when dealing with her daughter, this was the exception where Dadan would be quiet and her hands gentle as she styled and placed the orange curls into two pony tails, or Monalisa's favorite of just having it down around her small form.

There were other times she spent with her mother. Like all the 'jobs' they went on together in where Monalisa learned the art of ripping off people and stealing; when she helped prepared dinner with her; and her favorite of training with her.

Most were not surprised when Monalisa began to train with her mother. The young girl was bound to pick up an axe someday - something that Dadan made sure she did. Dadan was also trying her best to restrain the young girl from destroying her small hut due to her monstrous strength that had manifested out of the blue.

Like the person she knew herself to be, it didn't take Monalisa long to get used to it. Having monstrous strength is nothing compared to being reincarnated. She actually did like being physically stronger than the average man when she was only ten years of age.

Around that time Monalisa's week long absence was already in the past - though she did think about her past life constantly. There were times when everyone would look at her strangely when she mentioned something that was odd or when she made odd phrases and statements. But that too, didn't last for long and everyone accepted that to be a part of Curly Monalisa.

Times when she found herself staring off and getting Luffy worked up at her not paying attention to his adventures and plans of setting sail, coming back to herself and smiling faintly and apologizing.

Monalisa often found herself comparing her past life to this one and she found how different it was - how different she is now. Yes, she was no longer the quiet and subdued Suzanne Blackman, but she was instead the mischievous and outgoing, slightly perverted Curly Monalisa. Someone who enjoyed the unnatural – which this world provided in spades – and loved to find out new things.

So when Monkey D. Luffy asked Monalisa to join him on his quest to become King of the Pirates, she although a bit reluctant at first, had relented to get the chance to explore this new and odd world.

This was the time to have the adventure she had always dreamed of having in her past life.

The fact that this adventure started with Luffy and herself in a barrel drifting out in the sea was not how she imagined it but...

Oh well... It's not so bad... right?

* * *

 **Okay so that was a little fast paced huh? . I didn't want to divulge into Monalisa's past so soon and I actually am planning of having little snippets** **throughout AOAL...**

 **So it has been awhile since I uploaded anything on here .-. But One Piece is my new addiction and I just can't help but write about it.**

 **Be prepared for unusual update schedule because I've been known for procrastinating! But do review! It motivates me honestly :3**

 **#Edited all thanks to my amazing beta AliceInTheSunlight! ^_^**

 **U** **ntil next time~!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

* * *

As she sits in the barrel, Monalisa has the feeling that her second chance at life would end before she even gets to explore the world.

"Luffy, I swear, if I die before I see the rest of the world, I'll haunt you." The awaited 'Shishishi' laugh that he was known for does not come, and instead Monalisa only hears the sound of snores. She can barely manage to make out his face and straw hat, but it seems he has fallen asleep. "I don't even know how you can sleep at a time like this."

Monalisa leaves the idiotic - yet adorable - teen to sleep as she returns to her earlier thoughts.

Somehow their boat got caught in a whirlpool and their only escape was to fit both of their bodies into a barrel.

You might be wondering how both managed such a feat of fitting into a barrel.

That's easy enough to answer!

To put it nicely, Monalisa's dear friend – also known as Monkey D. Luffy – had a body made of rubber all thanks to eating a special fruit called the 'The Devil Fruit'. So it was easy to fit his rubbery body in with her petite one into the barrel.

You might also be wondering why on Earth were two teenagers out at sea by themselves. But that was answered in the last chapter, so do try to keep up. But to refresh your memory, Monkey D. Luffy had somehow convinced Monalisa to sail with him – as a pirate, mind you – on his quest to becoming the Pirate King. Many of you might find this to be an odd thing to do.

But as said – or was it written? – earlier, this world is an odd place.

Monalisa is ripped from her thoughts as the sound of voices fills her ears and the feeling of being lifted makes her stomach flop. She couldn't make out what exactly the voices were saying and neither did she care. All that she could think about is the fact that they were saved.

For some reason they are dropped, and a curse escapes Monalisa's mouth as the barrel begins to roll. Throughout all this Luffy doesn't stir and she is a little annoyed about it. They eventually stop and the sound of an alarm is loud enough for the orange-head to make out from inside the barrel.

Once again, voices are heard – male ones too – and they are lifted once more.

Breaking out of the barrel was out of the question due her limbs having fallen asleep and her hesitance to hurt one of the people carrying them if she were to try. She was curled into a fetal position with Luffy acting as a cushion of sorts, his long slim hands warping around her. It seems that their saviors are having a conversation and they must have decided to bust the barrel open from what Monalisa can hear, wiggling close to wooden surface. She frowns; this could cause problems for them.

 _'What to do... What to do...?'_

Mumbling below the teenage girl has her looking down to find the snoring has stopped and that Luffy's eyes are opening as he lets out a yawn.

"Mona..." – and at that time he finds it necessary to move and stretch his arms out with such force to bust the barrel open – "I SLEPT SO GREAT!" The motion makes Monalisa fall onto her back and the young teen lets out a yelp. From the silence and looking up Monalisa finds three dumbstruck men staring right at them.

Luffy's dark eyes hold curiosity as he stares right back at the men. "Huh? Who are you guys?"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" They yell in unison. "You nearly knocked our friend out!"

"Eh? Mona, what'cha doing on the ground like that?" Luffy completely ignores them as his eyes land on his still fallen friend that is sprawled on the floor.

"Sorry, but I can't move right now." Monalisa mumbles, playing along with ignoring the three men.

"DON'T IGNORE US!" They yell yet again.

Monalisa finally begins to feel her legs again and gets to her feet brushing off her military green pants as she did so. It is then she notices the very short pink haired child with large glasses. That's four strangers now.

"Oi," one of the men says, pressing the blade of a cutlass to Luffy's neck. "Are you messing with us because we're pirates? Huh?"

 _'I didn't even know you were...'_ Monalisa raises an eyebrow, clear surprise on her face. Even with their weapons, the three men didn't look much intimidating to Monalisa. Maybe their style of clothing that matches a stereotypical pirate should've given them away as pirates she guesses.

Luffy ignores the man and instead leans down to the pink haired child. "I'm starving. You got any food?" He asks him.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" The man with the cutlass booms.

With his words, the other two men raise their swords and point them down onto Luffy who hasn't made a move as yet. Stepping forward, putting a hand on the man closest to her, Monalisa begins to speak in a low voice.

"I would prefer it if you men put away your weapons." The man looks down at her hand that closes around his upper arm before glaring at the clearly shorter girl.

"Let go of me–" Adding a little pressure cuts the man off as he lets out a pained yell.

"I wouldn't like to break your arm, so could you and your friends escort yourself out of here so I could tend to my own friend?" Monalisa doesn't wait to hear his answer and instead pushes him towards the two with some force which sends the man stumbling forward.

"Oi, girl who do you think–" The look that Monalisa gives them shuts them up and sends the three men running out of the room.

" _Do I need to repeat myself?_ " Or maybe it was her clearly threatening words?

* * *

Coby couldn't help but stare at the two strangers that had somehow busted out of the barrel.

One is a male who hadn't even flinched when the three men had pulled swords to attack him. He is a slim young man that looks to be in his teens with short black hair under a straw hat that has a red sash. His face sported a goofy grin as well, not very intimidating.

The other is a female that appears to be younger than the straw hat boy. That may be due to her shorter stature – which he shouldn't criticize seeing as he is also short – and round face that is framed by thick orange afro-like curls. From the earlier scene, Coby is sure the girl is anything but a child – even if the teddy bear styled bag on her back might give him the wrong idea.

Feeling his eyes on her, Mona looks to the pink haired boy and raises a thick – yet shapely – orange brow, her eyes curious. He flinches looking away and the teen can't help but laugh at the boy's clear timid nature.

"Aren't you with those three men from earlier?" she asks and Coby jumps at her words and sudden voice.

"Ah...er – well, I kinda am!" Coby answers, looking to the two. "And you two should run while you still can! I'm sure they're going to bring back more people to get you!"

"Eh? I don't care, I'm hungry!" Luffy says with a grin.

"You're always hungry." Mona mumbles.

"You need to listen to me! When those men get back, they'll kill you on the spot!" Coby didn't understand how these two people seem to not care that they could be killed in a matter of seconds. "There is at least a hundred more pirates up on the deck too!"

"Oh really?" Mona lets a smirk spread across her lips. "I don't mind a challenge at all. Let them come."

Looking to the boy, Coby notices a similar smile is on his face although it seems to be more of a grin.

 _They don't seem scared at all. Who are these people?_

* * *

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy!"

"My name is Curly Monalisa."

"Oh well my name is Coby." Monalisa can't help but find the pink haired boy's timid nature amusing. It's actually been awhile since she had seen someone so cautious and shy like him. To top it all off he's shorter than her!

Luffy passes an apple to his friend and she thanks him as she sinks her teeth into the red fruit.

"So are we on a pirate ship or what?" comes Luffy voice as he munches on an apple as well. It seems as though they are in some kind of storage room for food as there is a sack of apples along with other food supplies in crates strewn across the small room.

"No. It's actually a passenger ship that's being raided by Lady Alvida and her crew."

"Huh, just our luck to land on a ship being ransacked by pirates." Monalisa finishes off the apple and looks to Luffy. "So what are we going to do?"

"What you mean? We need a boat, of course!" Turning to Coby, Luffy asks, "Is there any boats around here we could use?"

"I-I think so..." Coby answers, frowning thinking back to seeing some boats tied to the ship along the rail.

"Ah, that's great because our boat got sucked up in a giant whirlpool." Luffy lets out a sigh of relief at the news.

Coby gasps. "You mean that whirlpool outside? No one could have survived that!"

"I call it luck," Monalisa says, slapping a hand onto Luffy's shoulder seeing as she couldn't quite reach the top of his head. "This idiot has a lot of it."

"I thought we would've died." Luffy laughs and Monalisa can't help but roll her eyes at his clear nonchalance of saying such a thing.

"Say... Coby, seeing as you're a part of Alvida's crew shouldn't you be up there then?" asks Monalisa, raising an eyebrow again. At her words Coby, lets out a sigh and his eyes lower just as his mood seems to dampen.

"Actually I was forced to become a part of Alvida's crew." His words do not surprise her as Coby seems to be someone who would steer away from the life of piracy if he had the chance. Such a tiny person that clearly lacked a backbone could never make it as a pirate.

"How come?" Luffy asks, clearly confused by Coby's words.

"Two years ago I got into a boat on the outskirts of town to go fishing... but it turned out the boat was actually heading towards Alvida's pirate ship. In exchange for my life, I've been forced to be a chore boy." Coby explains, becoming sad over his past.

"Man, you're stupid aren't you?" Luffy comments bluntly with a straight face.

"You're brutally honest." Coby sighs as he hangs his head.

"Don't feel bad, Coby-kun." Monalisa's voice makes the pink haired boy look up to see the girl giving him a slight smile. "It's not really your fault you were too weak to defend yourself from such a fate. You don't have a backbone to do or say anything. It seems like that anyway."

"Your words don't exactly make me feel better, Monalisa-san." Coby whimpers and the orange haired girl shrugs with a careless smile.

"Well if you don't like it, you should run away." Luffy says.

"I can't do that!" Coby exclaims, frightened at the thought. "Just the thought of Alvida-sama finding me makes me scared and weak in the knees!"

"You're a wimp too?" Luffy laughs. "Man, I hate that!"

A rough elbow to his ribs has Luffy cutting off his laugh as Monalisa glares up at him.

"Please don't listen to my friend, Coby-kun." Monalisa looks to the boy and gives him a smile. "He doesn't think before speaking."

Her words earlier has Coby thinking she doesn't do the same, but he refrains from saying it.

"I know I'm kind of a wimp and I get scared sometimes, but I can't really help it!" Coby says. "I wish I could be like you, Luffy-san, Monalisa-san. If only I could go out to sea with the courage you two have, maybe I wouldn't be here right now."

"You wouldn't be here, trust me. You would be sailing and doing whatever you wanted to be doing, like us." Luffy nods to Monalisa's words as he picks up another apple and begins to eat- if Monalisa was to guess, it would have to be his tenth one.

"Um...if you don't mind me asking... what made you decide to go out to sea, Luffy-san, Monalisa-san?" Coby asks the two.

"To have an adventure and to keep this one out of too much trouble." Monalisa pulls at Luffy's cheek slightly and he swats her hand away making her laugh.

"To become the King of the Pirates." Luffy answers, finishing off his apple.

Coby's jaw dropped at the teen's answer. "Really?"

"Really."

"T-then that makes you a pirate," Coby stutters.

"Yep." Luffy says.

"What about your crew?"

"It's just me and Mona right now. I'm sure we'll find more to join along the way! At least ten, that's what I think," Luffy answers.

"Then that makes you a pirate as well, Monalisa-san." Coby looks to the orange haired girl who nods her head in confirmation.

"I did say I was out here to keep this one of too much trouble, so I guess that makes me a pirate as well," Monalisa says, not finding her words to be the least bit alarming.

"The title 'King of the Pirates' is given to the person who obtains everything in the world," Coby exclaims and Monalisa and Luffy nod at his words. "Which means you're seeking the greatest treasure of wealth, fame and power! That's the One Piece!"

"Yep," Luffy says, nodding once more.

"Don't be so nonchalant about it! Pirates all over the world are looking for it!" Coby cries, incredulity clear. "There's no way the two of you can even dream of reaching the One Piece! Never ever-"

His words are cut short by Luffy punching him on the head, annoyed by his words.

"Why did you hit me?" Coby whimpers.

"'Cause I felt like it and you were sprouting crap from your mouth," Luffy answers. "I don't care what you think. It's not about if I can or can't do it. I'm doing it 'cause I want to."

Taking the straw hat off his head, Luffy stares down at it lost in his thoughts. "I've decided to become King of the Pirates so if I die fighting for that, that's fine by me."

Coby stares in awe as the taller boy returns the hat to his head and begins to head for the door.

"I'm full now so we should go look for the boat now, Mona!" Said girl had been quiet during the two boys' exchange, but makes her move to follow her friend.

"M-monalisa-san, what about you? Are you willing to risk your life like that too?" Coby asks the girl. She seems to be more realistic than her companion, so maybe she would be –

"Of course! I wouldn't have followed after Luffy if I didn't accept the fact that I might die along the way." It seems Coby was a little wrong about Monalisa after all. A soft look comes to her eyes as she faces Coby. "When it comes to your dreams, you should try your very best to achieve them."

"My dreams..."

"Mona," Luffy groans, clearly annoyed that she wasn't following him yet. "Let's go already."

"Hold your horses, Luffy. I'm coming!"

"I don't have horses though."

"I meant that as an-"

"Do you think I could... join the marines?" His voice although soft, makes Monalisa cut her sentence short to look back at the boy.

"Eh?"

"Do you think I can join the navy?" Coby asks, voice louder.

"The navy, eh?" Monalisa mutters, thoughtful.

"Yes!" Coby seems to stand straighter now as his eyes gleam behind his glasses. "It has been my dream to catch bad guys ever since I was little. Do you think I can do it?"

' _Isn't he still little?'_ It seems Monalisa had wrongly guessed Coby's age. Maybe he is a young teenage boy who just happened to be short, like her.

"How should I know?" Luffy laughs, Monalisa glances at him giving him a warning glare.

"Coby-kun, you can do anything once you set your mind to it," Monalisa says, giving the shorter boy a grin.

"I'll do it!" Coby exclaims. "I'm not going to be a chore boy for the rest of my life! I'll break out of here and catch even Alvida-sama – no, Alvida! Just Alvida"

As soon as those words are uttered, the ceiling above them is broken and a large figure comes crashing down in between them.

With rather long wavy hair and a freckled face that sports small beady eyes, a large female with a white cowboy hat and a large spiky club bears down on the trio. She was to some point similar to Dadan that Monalisa couldn't help but wonder which was taller – and fatter.

The sound of footsteps behind them has Monalisa pulling Luffy away from the door just has swords slice through it.

"You were planning on catching who exactly, Coby?!" Her voice gives Monalisa another reason to compare her to her mother – being nasally and not quite feminine in the least.

"Just when we were about to leave here peacefully," Monalisa groans as the rather large female turned to face them. "Guess we'll not be leaving here without a fight."

* * *

 **Edited by my amazing beta, AliceInTheSunlight!**

 **Please review and tell me what you think~!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

* * *

 _"Just when we were about to leave here peacefully," Monalisa groans as the rather large female turns to face them. "Guess we'll not be leaving here without a fight."_

With thin eyes and equally thin lips, the supposedly feared Alvida sneers down at Luffy and Monalisa. "Neither of you don't look like the pirate hunter, Zoro."

"That's because we're not," Monalisa answers as Luffy cocks his head to the side.

"Who's Zoro, Mona?" Luffy asks, looking to the orange haired girl. Luffy has the idea that Monalisa knows everything – which she couldn't blame him for, since she herself pushed that idea onto the boy since they were kids. Luckily, she knows she has heard that name before.

"Supposedly a notorious pirate hunter," Monalisa remembers hearing about the man sometime while they were back home. "Said to be really strong."

"Strong, eh?" A grin spreads across Luffy's face at Monalisa's words.

"Coby! Who is the most beautiful of all on these seas?" Alvida demands, glancing back at the boy behind her.

"O-of course i-it's y-y-" Coby stammers as his teeth and body shake at the gaze directed at him by Alvida.

"Who's this fat old lady?" Luffy interrupts, pointing a finger toward Alvida. Monalisa's eyes widen and she slaps a hand to her forehead in exasperation. No one in their right mind would just go and say outright something like that – well except for Luffy of course, and sometimes Monalisa if she's brave enough.

"For once, I would love for you to close your mouth and think before speaking, Luffy," Monalisa hisses, noticing the place has gone incredibly quiet after her friend's words. He seemingly ignores her as he patiently waits for an answer. Rolling her eyes, Monalisa answers, "Her name must be Alvida, Luffy – the pirate that Coby-kun was talking about earlier."

"Oh! So that means I can call her Fatida then," Luffy says, looking completely serious. Monalisa doesn't even have to look around to see the looks of shock and incredulity and she lets out a short laugh, shaking her head.

 _Should've known better than to say anything. He's gonna make us really start a fight._

"Why you... you... runt!" Looking up, Monalisa sees that Alvida is beyond pissed and has lifted up her club preparing to fight.

"Uh, Luffy..."

"Right, let's go." Grabbing onto his back like a koala bear, Monalisa nods as Luffy moves, easily evading the first attack from the club, and appears in front of Coby. Not even saying anything, he picks him up – Coby screaming the entire time. The pink haired boy's screams become shriller when Luffy jumps straight through the hole Alvida had made upon her entrance.

Sunshine and the smell of the sea greet Monalisa as they appear on deck. As soon as they land, she releases her grip around Luffy's neck, removing herself from his back, and glances around warily at the awaiting pirates.

"Leave this to me, Mona!" Huffing, Monalisa only nods as Luffy takes off dodging the sword attacks. The men follow after him, and he lets out a loud laugh, most likely finding the idea of being chased with swords fun.

"Get the girl!"

Those words make Monalisa raise an eyebrow as some of their opponents turn to look at her, sneers appearing on their faces.

"I don't like it, but you are the enemy, girl," one says, raising his sword threateningly.

"If you surrender, we won't hurt you," another says, crooked teeth showing.

"How considerate," Monalisa says flatly, before her voice becomes soft as she tilts her head to the side. "You don't mind waiting a minute, do you?"

"Eh?" the men all say together. They watch as the orange-haired girl slips the bag off her back and brings it to the front. It is quite an odd backpack, as it is an overly large, brown teddy bear with red straps attached to it. Zipping it open, Monalisa lets her hand slide inside and she immediately comes across what she is searching for.

"Aha!" With the exclamation, the small girl wrenches out a short handled axe before quickly shutting her bag and putting it back on. With a click, the axe now becomes nearly as tall as Coby. "You can come at me now!"

"HOW DID THAT EVEN FIT IN THAT BAG?!" the pirates yell, clearly dumbfounded. Monalisa just shrugs, beckoning them with her free hand. Gritting his teeth, the one that had spoken first runs toward her aiming to slash her head off.

Monalisa grips the axe with both hands and blocks the attack with the wooden part of her weapon, shoving the blade away with ease and twisting her weapon to meet with another blade that appears.

"Two on one?" Monalisa tsks. "You do realize I am a woman. You should be more... _gentle_!" With her words, she swings the axe in a wide arc knocking the two men far back and leaving the rest to stare after their comrades in astonishment. Monalisa doesn't wait for them to act again and instead moves herself, twirling the axe with practiced ease before swiping at the last three unsuspecting men. They quickly fall like rocks, leaving a smirking Monalisa with her weapon hefted onto her right shoulder.

"That was awesome, Mona!" Looking to the side, Monalisa spots Luffy running toward her, with the men following closely behind him. Stopping suddenly, he whips out his leg in a wide sweep, knocking all the men behind him over. "I won't be outdone by you though!"

"No need to think such a thing." Mona grins, watching as her friend takes care of the men, just as promised. "You done yet, Luffy?"

"I told you I got this," Luffy laughs, cracking his fingers. Monalisa tucks a stray curl behind her ear while looking to Coby who at the moment is staring at them in shock.

"W-Who are you guys?"

"I'm a rubber man!" Luffy exclaims, stretching his cheek for emphasis.

"I'm just good with an axe." Monalisa shrugs, a smile still on her face.

"A rubber person...," Coby repeats, eyes wide. "You're joking, right?"

"Nope!"

"You!" Alvida yells, finally appearing out of the hole and climbing out. She makes her way towards Luffy and Monalisa and points her spiked club at them. "You ate a Devil Fruit, didn't you?"

"Yep!" Luffy clearly doesn't mind having a club pointed at him, but Monalisa is having none of it as she moves slightly away from the clearly deadly weapon.

"I see... I've heard rumors about them being real. I guess those rumors are true then," Alvida says, looking down at Luffy with a sneer. "You also seem pretty skilled. Tell me, are the two of you bounty hunters?"

"We're pirates!" Luffy answers.

"Pirates?" Alvida scoffs at the notion of the puny girl and skinny boy declaring such things. "Where's your crew then?"

"Don't have one yet. Just me and Mona right now."

"Pirates huh? Then that means we're enemies!" Alvida laughs menacingly.

Coby tugs on Luffy's shirt which makes him look toward the shorter boy. He sneaked his way over while Alvida was distracted and he's clearly scared at the moment.

"We should get out of here," Coby whispers to Luffy.

"Eh? Why?" Luffy asks, confused.

"What do you mean 'why'?! She's gonna kill us...," Coby stutters before trailing off, seeing that his words don't worry the straw hat wearing boy. Looking over to Monalisa, he finds that she only has an eyebrow raised as if to say "So what?"

He remembers their earlier words and it dawns on Coby that these people really don't care.

 _'They're willing to die for their dreams... So what about me...?'_

"Oh, Coby.," Hearing Alvida call for him, the pink haired boy flinches. "You didn't get to finish your earlier statement. Lady Alvida is what?"

"L-lady Alvida is-ss..." His head lowers, he squeezes his hands into fists before looking up with a determined look on his face. "Lady Alvida is the ugliest and oldest woman ever!"

Monalisa blinks at the loud outburst as Luffy throws his head back with a bark of laughter.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Alvida roars, face now red from both embarrassment and anger.

"I'm going to join the Marines and then I'm going to beat all the pirates!" Coby declares. "I'm going to join the Marines and get stronger and look for you and defeat you!"

 _'Didn't think the little squirt had it in him to say something like that.'_ Monalisa can't help but laugh a little.

"You little damned brat!" Alvida raises her club over her head, aiming to clobber the small boy.

Coby screams, closing his eyes while backing away, slightly raising his arms up to try to block the attack. _'I've already done it! I fought for what I believed in!'_

"Die!" Alvida yells, swinging the club down. But Luffy steps in the way, pushing Coby back. Monalisa grabs him before he falls over, looking to Luffy.

"Well said," Luffy says just as the blow lands on top his head. A wide grin spreads across Luffy's face even with the club on his head. Alvida gasps, noticing her attack does not phase the teen. "I'm made of rubber so that's not gonna work. So it's my turn – GUM-GUM PISTOL!"

Luffy's fist moves with rocketing speed as it aims for the large woman and connects directly with her ribs sending her flying out and off the ship. The rest of Alvida's crew can only gape and shriek in terror, staring after their leader. Their eyes move back to the supposed rubber-made boy who gives them a menacing look.

"Give Coby a boat," Luffy orders, his glare not letting up one bit. "He's joining the Marines so shut up and give it to him."

"Hai, Luffy-sama!" they all shout and Monalisa can't help but wonder how they got his name.

Luffy looks to Monalisa, who feels his gaze and turns to him. "We should get a boat too, Mona."

Nodding, Monalisa makes a move to go look for the boats when suddenly she stumbles. Two cannonballs land not too far from the ship which explains her momentary loss of balance. The impact makes the ship shake and sends her stumbling once more and nearly falling over this time. Luckily she grabs the railing of the ship in time. Looking over, she spots an awaiting boat as well.

"What was that?!" Luffy yells over the booming of the cannonballs landing in the water.

"It's the Navy," Coby mumbles, noticing the Marine ships a little away.

"Perfect timing then!" Luffy lets out a laugh. "You should go join them, Coby!"

"Got a boat right here, Lu!" Monalisa shouts out over the sound of cannon balls being fired.

"We're on a ship raided by pirates, of course I'm not going there!" At his words, he jumps at the same time Luffy and Monalisa jump overboard into the safety of the boat. Releasing the ropes, the boat falls down into the water making a large splash.

Hearing a female's scream, Luffy along with Monalisa look back to find a young woman in a boat right next to them also, though it was packed with what looked like treasure chests and sacks that might be filled with jewelry. Giving the fellow orange-head a wave, Monalisa looks back to the front where Coby was yelling that they needed to move right now.

The boat jerks forward as the three begin to row furiously, putting distance between the pretty girl and the ship. It doesn't take long for the wind to pick up and soon they don't have to row any longer and instead let the wind take over. Luffy sits to the front with Monalisa in the middle and Coby at the back.

"That was awesome!" Luffy exclaims, getting tired of the quiet that had settled around the trio.

"I guess it was." Monalisa smiles, agreeing with her friend. Coby just lets out a shaky laugh, still not over the traumatic experience of facing someone he was scared of. "We're gonna have more experiences like that in the near future seeing as what we're after is known for being something coveted by almost everyone."

"I hope they're awesome times like this one." Luffy says with a grin and a chuckle.

"Uh, you guys?" Looking back to the other occupant of the boat, they see a worried expression is on Coby's face. "If you're going after the One Piece, you do know you have to go to the Grand Line, right?"

"We know," Monalisa answers, before pausing and looking to Luffy who wasn't really paying attention and is instead picking his nose with a vacant expression on his face. "... Or I would like to believe so."

"It's known as the Pirate Graveyard, you know," Coby warns.

"No need to worry about us, Coby-kun." Monalisa leans forward and ruffles Coby's hair, a soft smile on her face. "I can take care of myself and so can Luffy."

Letting out a sigh, Coby looks up at the still smiling Monalisa before looking over to Luffy who wasn't really paying attention to them at the moment. "Uh... Monalisa-san? How do you know Luffy-san?"

Monalisa blinks at the odd question, before shrugging. She didn't see why she couldn't tell Coby.

"He's my husband." Coby's expression goes blank before a very loud "EH?!" leaves his mouth. Monalisa lets out a loud laugh as Luffy wrinkles his nose, his attention returning to the duo.

"Mona, don't say stuff like that," Luffy mutters as Monalisa continues to laugh. Seeing Luffy's reaction, Coby looks to the boy in surprise.

"It's not true then?" Luffy shakes his head rather vigorously, which makes Monalisa stop her laughing to huff.

"No need to behave like that," Monalisa mutters, pouting slightly before looking to Coby. "Luffy's just my best friend, it was a joke, Coby-kun."

"Oh." Coby blinks watching as Monalisa begins to pull at Luffy's cheeks, demanding that Luffy admit that she's a cute girl.

"We've known each other for a long time and somehow this idiot convinced me to follow him on his crazy adventure." Monalisa moves her hand away just as Luffy goes to swat her hand away from his face.

"I'm not an idiot!"

"You're right. You're a cute idiot."

"I'm not cute either! I'm a man!"

"You're barely seventeen, you're no man just yet."

"You're only fifteen."

"Only in body. I'm mentally a thirty year old woman."

"You're so weird, Mona."

"You're a really great friend then, Monalisa-san." Hearing Coby's words, the two cut their banter to look to the smiling pink haired boy once again. "You up and left your home just to follow your friend to fulfill his dream. That's a real friend, Monalisa-san."

His words have the orange haired girl sputtering, while a blush spreads across her round cheeks.

"Eh? But Mona has her own dream that she's after too! She wants to see the whole world!" Luffy's words has Monalisa freezing before turning around and throwing both her hands over the raven haired teen's mouth, muffling his words. Coby furrows his brows in confusion.

"Please don't mind Luffy, Coby-kun. He likes to talk a bit too much." Giving Luffy one last glare, Monalisa turns back her attention to Coby and gives him a bright smile. "And do call me Mona, Coby-kun. I don't really like my full name."

"S-sure..."

"Now go back to praising me for being a great friend."

* * *

 **So we see Monalisa in action (or something close to action, I guess) and we find out she likes to be praised lol.**

 **This chapter was edited by myself and my beautiful beta, AliceInTheSunlight. You guys should go over and read her stories -they're good!**

 **Next chapter we'll be meeting Zoro! See you soon~!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

* * *

It doesn't take Coby long to find out where exactly these two pirates were going and he can't help but stare at them in shock. "You can't be serious."

"I am serious." Luffy says looking back and giving the still staring pink haired boy a grin. "We're going after this Zolo person!"

"It's Zoro, Luffy," Monalisa murmurs, leaning over the small boat and trailing her hand over the surface of the still water. It had been a full two hours since their escape and Coby – who seemed to be the only one on board that knows to navigate properly – says that land should appear soon. From the set of the sun, Monalisa could say it was little after lunch and knew any moment Luffy would begin to complain about the lack of food.

"Whatever," Luffy says, waving off Monalisa's correction before he turns to Coby in excitement. "Ne, let's go find that pirate hunter guy!"

"Eh?! Didn't you hear me earlier?!" Coby yells. "He's a pirate hunter! I heard he's even been held as a prisoner at a marine base."

That seems to deflate Luffy some as his excitement fades slightly to be replaced with disappointment. "Aw, he's a weakling then?"

"No way! He's said to be as terrifying as a demon!" Coby exclaims, shuddering at a conjured image of a man who looks like a demon that his mind places in his head. Monalisa looks up from the water, pulling her hand in and turns her attention to Luffy. As if feeling her gaze, Luffy looks to her and a wide grin spreads across his face.

"If he's a good guy, he'll join my crew." The conviction in his voice puts a smile on Monalisa's face as she rolls her eyes before looking at Coby.

"Where's this marine base, Coby-kun?" Coby's mouth pops open as he stares at the young teen. She raises an eyebrow, questioning the look that he gives her.

"You're going along with what he says? You two are being so reckless!" The two just continue to stare at the very short boy before he lets out a sigh. "Fine. I'll tell you..."

* * *

It had been awhile since Monalisa had been on land – two days actually. And to be on it once more now...

"I just love you ground! How could I ever have been convinced to abandon you like I did?" Luffy and Coby watch on as the orange haired teen fists her hands into the loose earth of the road that leads straight through the small town. They had just docked at the supposed town that the famous bounty hunter was being kept, when Monalisa had ran along ahead to just fall to her knees on the dirt filled road.

"Uh... Monalisa-san?" Coby calls warily as the girl picks up dirt and rubs it between her hands. Bending her head backwards to look at him, Monalisa blinks seeing the laughing Luffy and the weird look that Coby is giving her.

"Please do go ahead and find this Zoro person." Monalisa gets up and dusts off her pants, ignoring the odd looks that the townspeople are giving her. "Right now I need a bed, new clothes and hair supplies."

"We can't just leave you like that," Coby says, eyes wide. "What if we can't find you or something?" He then leans in closer and motions for her to lean in Bemused, Monalisa tilts her head down slightly as the shorter boy whispers in her ear. "And do you really trust Luffy to be on his own?"

Her teal eyes glance to the side to see Luffy with wide eyes as he looks after a couple of young children who were running past them with yakitori in their small hands. They seem to gleam at the sight of chicken on a stick, while his mouth opens slightly. Monalisa snorts at the sight before turning back to Coby.

"No need to worry about Luffy. I know you'll take good care of him." Reaching into her backpack, she pulls out what looks to be like money and stuffs it into Coby's hands. "Buy him some meat and when the time's right, he'll know how to find me."

"B-but-"

"Yosh!" Coby is cut off as Luffy grabs hold of him. "Let's go eat then go find Zoro!"

His loud exclamation makes the townspeople near them to shriek and back away from the three almost as if they were burned. This reaction makes Monalisa raise her eyebrows in surprise, while Coby goes on to scold the straw hat wearing teen.

"Don't go blurting out his name like that! He's really scary, so you should be more discreet! We don't need for Captain Morgan to find us suspicious!" His words also seem to garner the same reaction as the people once again yell and move out the way. This immediately makes Coby shut his mouth with an "Eep!" while Luffy laughs.

"Seems like both their names shouldn't be said out loud," Monalisa states, playing with a stray strand of hair that falls to the front of her face. She usually keeps her hair away from her face as she hates having it covering her eyes – it's one of the reasons why she doesn't have a fringe and instead it's grown out and pulled back by a clip.

"I would understand them being frightened by the bounty hunter's name, but why the captain's?" Coby whispers.

"Maybe they just do it for the laughs," Luffy suggests.

"Idiot." Monalisa smacks him behind the head which makes him scowl.

Monalisa stops walking which causes the two to look back questioningly.

"Well, I see the marine base is not too far from here," she says. "You guys go on ahead and find Zoro. I really need to get some new clothes and stuff."

"EH? Don't leave-"

"Okay, Mona!" Luffy begins to pull Coby away, his eyes trained ahead while Coby flails around. Monalisa waves them off before shaking her head in amusement.

"Now that they're gone..." Her eyes begin to gleam as she clasps her hands together on her left cheek, moving close to a store where clothes on mannequins are displayed through a glass window. "Time for shopping~!"

It didn't take long for Monalisa to find a new outfit and her sole carrying bag to be filled with endless supplies for her hair. Being a big person on hair health, she likes to make sure she always has the right amount of products for this specific reason along with styling gels and different hair ties.

Her new outfit consists of a mechanic styled jumper made of denim material that she has the sleeves tied around her hips with a plain black sleeveless turtleneck with her flats on her feet.

She even took time to comb her hair – and wash it too! – in the small room she rented for the day. It's right across from a bar where she decided to go to get something to eat later. Her hair is now styled into four thick plaits that are pulled into a side bun which lies low on her left shoulder.

Humming as she makes her way across the street to the bar, she can't help but wonder if she should head to the Marine base to check on Luffy. It has been quite awhile…

Nah. Luffy doesn't need her right now.

Pushing the door open, Monalisa is immediately met by a taller person who knocks into her. A normal person would have stumbled upon impact, but as we all know... Monalisa isn't quite normal. Instead the person goes tumbling to the floor from the impact, staring up at her.

"How dare you?!" Looking away from his ugly features and hair, Monalisa looks up to find Luffy not too far away away with Coby. "How dare you run into me –"

"Oh, Luffy and Coby-kun? Didn't know I would run into you guys here!" Stepping around the shell-shocked boy, Monalisa walks toward her two friends. "I thought you guys would still be at the Marine base."

"We just got back," Luffy explains, also ignoring the now glowing red boy on the floor and instead focuses on Monalisa and tilts his head to the side. "You got new clothes."

"Hey!" Looking back, Monalisa blinks as the boy glares at her, his finger pointed at her. "You have to apologize to me now!"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Looking away, she is about to continue her explanation of new clothes and hair supplies when the boy speaks once more.

"I am the great Captain Morgan's son and that's how you will apologize to me?!" Coby watches on in silent horror as Monalisa again turns around facing the blonde with her features turning sour in annoyance

"I said sorry, so beat it." Her expression seems to have shut the young man's mouth as he stares at her.

"Y-you... I'll tell my father on you as well! I'll have you imprisoned for your insubordination!" This seems to irritate Monalisa more as her features go darker; a terrible feeling crawls up Coby's spine at the look.

"What are you? A child? I said to beat it."

* * *

It didn't take long for Helmeppo to leave with his two supposed guards and Monalisa to be filled in on what she missed.

"So basically Zoro-san is imprisoned for saving this adorable munchkin and is to be executed tomorrow, after being specifically told that, as long as he survived a month without food, they would let him go just because that ugly asshole said so?" Monalisa summarizes while taking a sip of juice. She was currently eating fried rice which she was provided by Rika – the little adorable munchkin's -mother.

"Yeah." Coby whispers, trying to read Monalisa's expression but the girl keeps her face blank as she continues to eat.

"You gonna save him, Luffy?" Monalisa asks between chews, not even looking at said teen who sits at the bar.

"Yep."

"Good. I'm coming too," Monalisa says placing her spoon down and giving the woman a warm smile. "Thank you for the food, ma'am."

"Y-you're welcome," The woman answers, slightly taken aback by how very messy the young girl ate her food.

"He's going to be our nakama too." Looking at Luffy, Monalisa smiles as his face is hidden slightly by his straw hat.

"As long as he doesn't take my place of being helmsman, I'm good." Monalisa stands turning to Coby as she cleans her face of stuck-on rice. "You coming?"

"A-ano... maybe I'll just stay here." Giving him a smile, Monalisa follows after Luffy, but stops to look at Rika.

"Hey, you think you could do something for me, Rika-chan?" Pulling free her axe, she hands her teddy bear styled bag to the young girl. She had decided to have her weapon attached to a holder at the back of her bag for easier access. "Could you look after Roger for me? I don't want him to get mixed up in this and get hurt. Think you can take care of him while I'm gone?"

"Roger...?" Holding the bag with both hands, the young child looks at the brown teddy bear that has buttons for eyes, stitch marks all over along with patches on parts of his body. Monalisa nods, a smile on her face.

"Mhmmm... he's my most valued treasure at the moment so you gotta make sure nothing happens to him, right?" Eyes wide, Rika looks up at the teenager who ruffles her dark hair.

"Why are you always so slow, Mona," Luffy's voice comes from the door as he seems to be very impatient.

"As I always say, hold your horses, Luffy." Monalisa sighs, moving out of the short stoop she was in and walking toward her best friend.

"I don't have horses to hold though."

"It's an expression."

"...But your face is blank."

"... Never mind, Luffy."

* * *

When Monalisa thought about meeting other people who would join their crew, she had always thought it would be with her looking epic and them staring at her in awe and all that. She would be the one to tell them what to do and they would view her as their superior and worship the ground she walked on.

Not with them witnessing her face planting into the ground after crawling over the wall and slipping on a brick. Her face hurt and she got up, rubbing her now reddened face, while she scowls at Luffy who stands there laughing at her misfortune.

"What are you doing here? And who's the midget?" A deep voice has Monalisa turning around to see the tall man tied to a post. His arms and legs are spread by the x-shaped post and are tied by ropes His head is raised, and Monalisa can feel the glare from the all the way over there to her place by the wall.

"Whatcha mean 'what am I doing here'? I'm here to make you my nakama!" Luffy says, walking forward with Monalisa following after him.

"And the supposed midget is his first mate and helmsman," Monalisa answers, coming to stand in front of the man. She wrinkles her nose at stench of a man that hasn't had a decent shower in days before giving him a once over, eyes lingering on his short hair that hides beneath a dark green bandanna. "You have green hair..."

"And yours is orange," Zoro retorts – to which she whispers a quick "Touche." – before looking to Luffy. "And I told you that I don't want to be a pirate!"

Zoro's anger doesn't seem to faze Luffy as he tugs at one of the ropes that ties the green haired man to the wood. "When I loosen these, then you'll join my crew, okay?"

"Stop making my decisions for me!" Zoro once again snaps as Monalisa lets out a low chuckle. It was quite a comical scene to witness; a clearly older person arguing with a young teen in a childish manner. "Besides, I have my own things to do. I'm not about to give that up to be some bad person."

"I don't see how that's any difference from how everybody sees you now," Luffy bluntly states, letting go of the rope while folding his arms across his chest. Monalisa dubbed that pose as his 'stubborn pose' and knows right away that this would take a while.

"Do I look like I care?! I've never done anything wrong and I'll never become a pirate!" "I don't care you'll join my crew anyway." "Stop deciding for yourself!"

"Well, when you finally see that Luffy isn't going to give up and you decide to join us, do tell me so I can bust you out of those ropes," Monalisa says. It seems the two forgot the short girl's presence, but now look to her to see the quite bored expression she sports.

"I'm not joining his crew, and I don't need your help to free myself," Zoro growls out, giving the girl a glare. Monalisa just shrugs, not looking convinced at all.

"I heard you use a katana. Is that true?" Monalisa doesn't know why Luffy all of sudden wants to know something like that, but she smells that the boy might be planning something.

His question seems to have surprised Zoro, but it calms him down some enough for him to answer. "If I wasn't tied up, I could use them, yeah."

"Where is it?" Luffy questions.

"That stupid kid took it and it's something that I treasure the most... That I would give my life for!" Zoro's statement has Monalisa's eyes widening. It seems there is something that the green haired man cares a lot about then.

"It must be something great for you to view it as such." The short teen murmurs to which Luffy nods his head. Zoro just huffs, looking away for a moment.

"Yosh! I'll get it and then you'll have to join my crew!" At Luffy words, Monalisa sighs while Zoro goes back to having a fit. So that was her friend's plan all along... Really, Monalisa should've seen that coming.

"That's dirty, you little..." Luffy only lets out a loud laugh before turning around and heading straight for the building. Her eyes trained on Zoro, Monalisa doesn't bother to follow after her best friend. As if feeling her eyes on him, Zoro turns to her his annoyance clear on his face.

"What are you staring at, midget?" His glare once again doesn't even faze the short girl, which Zoro found irritating. It's as if starvation somehow made his glare less menacing or something. Maybe he's gotten soft?

"Monalisa," she says and he turns his eyes back to her.

"What?"

"My name is Monalisa. Not midget." Her eyes do not glance away from his dark ones throughout the exchange; Zoro finds it unnerving. A slow smile begins to spread across her face and Zoro notes the teasing nature it has. "And I'm staring at you."

"Why's that?"

"You're hot." Her answer makes him choke on his spit and Zoro begins to splutter.

"W-what-"

"You're hot." Monalisa shrugs, finally looking away to where Luffy had run off to. "I don't need to follow after Luffy, he'll come back with your stuff and then I'll set you free."

His face still slightly flushed from her embarrassing words, Zoro wonders how the small girl could free him from the ropes. It's then that he finally looks away from her weird orange hair and away from her childish face to her right hand that holds a folded axe which startles the bounty hunter. This is where he becomes more keen on looking over the young teen. If he looks closely, he can see the muscles outlined on her arms. Zoro can also see the girl's abs peeking out from the bottom of her shirt that stops just above her navel.

"You finished checking me out, hun?" Her words have him pulling back in alarm to which she laughs at while pulling at the hem of shirt up slightly. "Want a better view?"

"S-shut up!"

"I'm going to enjoy having you on the crew, Zo-chan~!"

"I'm not joining your crew! And don't call me that, you perverted woman!"

* * *

 **So we see that Monalisa is a bit of pervert and likes to tease... lol. No worries, Zoro and Monalisa won't be paired (it might change a little later... but just be warned Monalisa is a tease!)**

 **We finally meet Zoro (who just happens to be one of my faves - right after Usopp and Chopper- on the Strawhat crew! Tell me what you think either by a review (which I would love so much) or by simply PMing me (that works too!) Any questions and I'll try to answer!**

 **Thanks are going out once again to Beta; AliceInTheSunlight! Bless her heart**

 **I'll be seeing you guys next chapter! See ya~!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

* * *

Monalisa isn't surprised when Coby appears. Something told her that he wouldn't have stayed behind no matter how wary and scared he seemed back at the bar. It's small but she can feel and see a little of Luffy in the pink haired kid. The way his eyes seem to shine behind his glasses as he relates to Zoro what he knows of Luffy just makes her step back to give him room. Coby has his own special brand of charisma – that she can see.

"Pirate King?" Zoro repeats questioningly, looking quite unconvinced of Coby's account of Luffy's dream. "You're kidding me, right?"

"I admit, I was a little unsure if he was serious myself," Coby chuckles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "But Luffy is dead serious."

"Luffy doesn't lie," Monalisa says, drawing their attention. She doesn't look at the two and instead inspects her nails; the dirt underneath them makes her cringe. "He's terrible at it. If he says his dream is to be Pirate King, then believe me when I say that that's his dream and he'll do everything in his power to see it come true."

"Do you think he can do it?" Coby asks, eyes trained on Monalisa. Sometimes he found it hard to read the orange haired teen. He knew her answer though; she would say that of course she believed Luffy could do it-

"Nope." Her words make not only Coby's mouth drop open quite comically, but the quietly listening Zoro's as well.

"What do you mean 'nope', midget?!"

"Hm? Oh, I meant to say yep. Those two words always get me mixed up, tehehe~!"

"They're opposite! How is that even possible?!"

Before Zoro can go off into another fit, the sound of a gun interrupts him. A loud scream from Coby has both turning to the young boy, only to find that blood had begun to turn his white shirt red, blooming from his right shoulder.

Monalisa's amused expression falls as she grabs hold of Coby and he begins to freak out. Ripping the bloody piece of his shirt off, she quickly looks to see that it isn't that bad a wound. Mumbling assurances, Monalisa quickly rips a piece of cloth off of her pants with ease and ties it tightly around his arm.

"I'm going to die!"

"No, you're not."

"Yes I am!"

"No, you're not."

"...Oh..."

"Is he going to be okay?" Zoro's voice has Monalisa looking up to find that the man seems to be worried.

"He'll live," Monalisa says dryly, her eyes moving away to look to where the sound of the gun had gone off. Coby shifts and gets up – he didn't even notice that he was on the ground – and moves to Zoro. Her eyes are drawn to the top of building where she can make out what looked to be people in uniforms before she glances at Coby to see him trying to take off Zoro's ropes.

"You shouldn't put pressure on your shoulder," Monalisa says, watching but not making any move to get up and help. "Even if the bullet only grazed you, it must still hurt."

"You two need to get out here. Don't worry about me!" Zoro snaps. "I just need to stay here for the month and I'll be set free –"

"You won't!" Coby yells, eyes tearing up. "They were never going to set you free and they're going kill you in three days!"

His words make Zoro's eyes widen in shock. Coby's response somehow makes it hard for the swordsman to speak as the boy continues to struggle with the ropes.

"T-that's stupid. That little shit promised that if I could survive the month, he'll let me go," Zoro says, but his words doesn't seem to hold much conviction as he considers what Coby said.

"He never intended to keep that promise! That's why Luffy punched him; for lying to you and not keeping his promise!" Coby says, teeth grinding together in frustration. Who tied these ropes anyway? Why did his arm hurt so much?!

"You're saying that straw hat stood up for me...?" Monalisa watches on as emotions flit across the green haired man's face. A small smile comes to her lips as she lets out a sigh getting to her feet.

"Yes! I need the three of you to leave here! I will not try to force you to be a pirate, but you need to join forces with Luffy! I know with your help, you guys can escape!" Coby winces as pain shoots through his arm and he falters in trying to undo the ropes.

The sound of footsteps has Monalisa looking to find marine soldiers appearing and surrounding the trio, raising their weapons in warning.

"It seems the marines are here." Her words have both Zoro and Coby looking up.

"That's enough! The two of you have betrayed Captain Morgan... Die here!" One of the soldiers yells out and Monalisa can't help but raise an eyebrow.

"It seems they wanna kill us."

"No shit, midget."

"Well isn't this interesting." Monalisa easily spots the tall man that speaks. Carrying an axe for a hand and a metal jaw, he is a rather interesting person to look at and, judging by how the other marines surround the man, Monalisa can only guess that this is Captain Morgan. "The three of you are planning a coup?"

"Well isn't he full of himself," Monalisa mutters under her breath, shifting to put herself in front of Coby. The boy is trembling while he stares at the gathered force surrounding them. He looks ready to pass out as well.

"Roronoa Zoro, I've heard of your strength. But do not underestimate me as I can assure you, yours does not even hold a candle to mine." The blonde man looks over his troops. "Ready your weapons and prepare to fire!" His words are all the gathered forces need to load their guns and point them at trio.

"The two of you get out of here!" Zoro yells but Coby is too busy whimpering and grabbing onto Monalisa's arm. Said girl just continues to stare at the marines, only rubbing the top of Coby's head in a comforting manner.

"FIRE!"

Standing six inches taller than herself, Luffy shadows the orange haired teen as he lands in front of her, uncurling from a crouch. Monalisa purses her lips, as she lets go of Coby. "Took you long enough."

"LUFFY!"

"YOU!"

It doesn't faze Monalisa when the bullets sink into Luffy; neither does she seem to be surprised when they bounce right back. "It's no use!" His maniacal laughter is loud but Monalisa can still hear the screams of the Marines as their bullets ricochet.

Looking back, Monalisa finds that Coby has collapsed onto the ground in relief while Zoro stares with his mouth hanging open. "What kind of human are you?!"

"I'm the one whose gonna be Pirate King!" Luffy laughs before holding up three sheathed swords. "I don't know which one is yours so I brought all three!"

"All of them are mine. I use three sword style." Monalisa whistles, impressed while Zoro lets a smirk crawl onto his face.

"I can't say I've ever witnessed something like that," Monalisa murmurs, walking over to Zoro who watches her warily. Gripping the rope surrounding his right hand, Monalisa leans forward while Zoro tries his best to lean away from her. "Why don't you show me, Zo-chan~!"

Just as he is about to snap at her for calling him that ridiculous nickname again, the rope around his right hand breaks with ease just by a slight pull from the short girl. She moves to his left where she does the same before quickly releasing his feet. Zoro stumbles slightly but a hand from Monalisa keeps him from stumbling further.

"Told you I would get you lose." Monalisa grins while Zoro moves to rub his wrists free while glaring down at the girl.

"If you could've done this all the time, why didn't you do it?" Monalisa shrugs looking back to Luffy who didn't seem to mind the marines that were certainly plotting their demise behind him.

"I had to make sure you would join our crew." Her words make his glare darken, which doesn't faze her as she continues to stare up at him. "You'd rather die here and not fulfill your goals?"

This makes the green haired swordsman pause for a moment.

"Resisting the marines here with me will make you an outlaw. Maybe you should just give in to them." Luffy says gaining Zoro's attention.

Zoro lets out a frustrated sigh before answering. "You know what? I'm not looking forward to dying here, so maybe I should take you up on your offer."

"About damn time," Monalisa mutters, flicking her axe straight and bracing it against her right shoulder.

"Yes! I got a crew mate!"

"Oi! Get ready, they're coming," Zoro announces, watching as the gathered men pull their swords free and charge at them. Monalisa glances at the approaching men before looking back to Coby who's been quiet throughout the whole ordeal.

"Stay back, Coby-kun." He nods vigorously which makes Monalisa laugh a little at. Too adorable, she could scoop him up! But...

The sound of the marines yelling has Monalisa's eye twitching as she turns to face the oncoming force. "It's really annoying how much they yell."

With their swords raised high, the marines continue to advance but do not get far as Zoro makes his move. Monalisa hadn't even noticed when the green haired man had moved from behind her, grabbing his three swords from Luffy. With the white handled sword in his mouth – Monalisa cringes at the sight – and the other two in his hands, Zoro blocks the incoming attacks with ease.

"You better not make a move, any of you," Zoro says in an eerie voice. Monalisa tilts her head to the side; how was he able to talk with that thing in his mouth? "Or I'll kill you."

This has the desired effect as the marines begin to tremble at the threat and the almost demonic look on Zoro's face.

"I said I would be a pirate with you," Zoro says, addressing Luffy who perks up. Zoro doesn't take his eyes off the now crying marines he holds back. "I would have been labelled a criminal either way just like yourself after this incident. But that's okay, I still have my goals! I will be the world's greatest swordsman! If I have to be a good guy or a bad guy, it no longer matters just as long as my name is known worldwide! If you do anything to stand in my way of accomplishing my dream, I will cut your stomach open as your apology to me."

"Sounds fair," Monalisa grins.

"I wouldn't want it any other way! If you're gonna be a part of the future Pirate King's crew and you couldn't accomplish something as small as that, I would be really embarrassed." Luffy replies, his voice serious.

"Well said." Zoro smirks, gripping his swords tighter.

"What are you just standing there for?!" Morgan's voice snaps. "Get them!"

"Duck!" Luffy's quick exclamation startles Zoro but he ducks either way just in time to avoid Luffy's lengthened leg as it sails above his head. The marines are knocked back, leaving a grinning Luffy.

"What are you...?" Zoro stares at the straw hat wearing boy who looks down at him, his grin widening.

"I'm a rubber man," Luffy answers, casually.

Monalisa hums as she rises from her crouch and swings her axe in a small arc, as if testing it out. "You really need to be more careful if you're going to be stretching your limbs like that, Luffy."

"Aw, but Mona..."

"Don't 'Mona' me!"

"What do you imbeciles think you're doing? Pick up your weapons and fire!" The voice of the supposed captain interrupts, causing the trio to look up and see that the man is seething as he directs his yelling towards the cowering marine men.

The marines are startled by the loud command, and look to the four people who continue to stare right back at them.

"But sir... we don't stand a chance against them!"

"We can't even handle Zoro alone, much less the rubber man!"

Monalisa can see right away that those words are the last thing Morgan wants to hear. A shadow spreads over his eyes as he speaks in a low, commanding voice.

"This is an order... Everyone who spouted such weak words is to turn their guns on themselves and shoot! I have no desire to have such weaklings following me."

Monalisa is stupefied as the marine men do just as he orders, and one by one point their guns to their heads. "They're crazy..."

"What do those marines think they're doing?!" Zoro yells.

"I'm the marines' worst enemy," Luffy throws his arm back before launching it straight at Morgan's axe. Grabbing it, he uses this to pull himself toward the man and to come to a halt right in front of him. "If there's going to be any kind of execution, it should be me! Not your comrades! Let's see if you can get me, axe-man."

"You insolent little brat, I am the highest ranking official on this island and you think you can take me on?!" Morgan yells, but this only seems to make Luffy angry as he yells right back.

"Shut up!" His arm once again draws back before shooting forward. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Morgan manages to block the attack but is sent skating back by the force of it.

"I see you got axe-man," Monalisa murmurs, stepping back as Luffy cracks his fingers. "I'll let you handle him then."

"Rankless, low life scum like you don't get the right to defy me!" Morgan shouts. "I am Navy Captain, 'Axe-hand Morgan'!"

"And I'm Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet ya." Luffy dodges the swipe of the Captain Morgan and makes his move of jumping up. While in the air he brings his feet to his chest before kicking them out and lands a hit to Morgan's chest. The blow has the large man falling backwards, but he regains his footing before falling.

"DIE!" Morgan snarls.

"Meh, no thanks!" Luffy grins, doing a back flip and kicking Morgan once again but this time aiming for his head.

Monalisa, who has been watching intently, stiffens before turning away from Luffy's fight to find none other than Helmeppo. He is creeping up behind Coby who at the moment seems too distracted by Luffy's fight to notice.

"What do you think you're doing?" Her voice makes the blonde startle before glancing to find sharp blue-green eyes glaring at him. Neither her height nor her features really frightened the boy – she looks to be barely a teenager! – but the large axe that the girl holds with ease makes Helmeppo begin to shake.

But it seems the blonde isn't quite afraid enough of Monalisa as he still grabs onto Coby and shoves a gun against his head. Coby lets out a loud screech which Monalisa thinks might distract Luffy from his fight with Morgan.

"You better tell your friend to stop or I'll kill him!" Helmeppo is glad his voice is steady as Monalisa's glare seems to be getting even scarier every passing moment.

"Hahhhh?" Tilting her head up, Monalisa's eyes narrow as she tries to look down at Helmeppo.

Her expression makes both Coby and Helmeppo let out identical _eeps_. But Helmeppo recovers enough to yell at Luffy.

"Oi! Straw hat, look over here!" Looking back, Luffy finds that Monalisa is sizing up the familiar boy from the bar as he holds a gun to Coby's head. "You'll stop if you value his life!"

"Luffy,Monalisa-san... I don't want to be in your way so..." Coby looks up, tears streaming down his face. "I don't mind dying! I'm not afraid!"

Luffy stares at the still crying boy, his face unreadable for a while, before a grin once again inhabits his face.

"Ya hear that, stupid son? Coby isn't afraid of dying, so you can pull the trigger!"

"Oh no he can't." She's fast as she moves in, using the butt of her axe to knock the gun out of the blonde's hand before pulling Coby free from his grasp. Helmeppo can only blink before he is thrown back by a hard knock to his stomach – courtesy of Monalisa's axe – that sends him flying. Before he even hits the ground, he is knocked out.

Coby stares at Monalisa who mutters curses under her breath that are directed to the now unconscious Helmeppo.

"I would've done something, you know." Luffy pouts out his lips. Monalisa ears perk hearing his words and she glances back giving the dark haired boy a look. Before she can comment though, Morgan makes his move towards the oblivious Luffy, while his back is turned. Her eyes widen, preparing to yell out but stops as Zoro appears blocking Morgan's axe from even touching Luffy. With his two swords Zoro attacks, sending the Marine captain down and into unconsciousness as well.

"Nice!" Luffy grins, turning around and facing the taller man.

"My pleasure, Captain."

As if now remembering that they are surrounded by more enemies, the four look around to find the men are staring with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"If anyone else wants to try and take us down, you're welcome to try!" Zoro challenges, his glare fierce while his muscles tense preparing to fight once more.

His words makes the men look at each other before they do the unexpected and throw their weapons up with loud cheers echoing throughout the court yard.

"Eh? Why're they celebrating?" Luffy tilts his head to the side confused by the scene.

"It seems they are happy that we defeated their captain," Monalisa observes, pushing the handle of her axe down to make the weapon smaller once again.

"Ahhhh..." Zoro lets out a sigh before he hits face down into the ground startling Coby and Luffy.

"Oi, Zoro, you okay?!" Luffy cries, growing worried almost instantly.

"It seems he passed out." Monalisa snorts, hearing the snores loud and clear. "Must be from hunger and fatigue."

"Huh... we should get him back to the bar then!" Luffy says, nodding his head to his reasoning. Monalisa has a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't even thinking about Zoro at the mention of getting food, but himself.

"How are we going to do that?" Coby asks, walking up to the sleeping man. "He's so huge. Who will carry him?"

"Mona will!" Luffy points at the orange haired girl who is already moving to pick up Zoro. Coby mouth drops open in shock at Luffy's words.

"EHHHH?!"

"Try not to do anything dirty, Mona," Luffy says giving the girl a look which Monalisa laughs upon seeing. With ease, she is holding a sleeping Zoro bridal style, his legs dragging on the ground due to her short stature.

"I promise~!"

* * *

 **Edited**

 **We'll be wrapping up Romance Dawn arc in the next chapter! I'm so excited to get a move on XD**

 **There's some minor things we learn about our heroine in this chapter (I never really did enjoy the Captain Morgan fight :/ ) Anyway... Thanks are going out to my first reviewers! Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I just hope that this story continues to make you all happy ^_^**

 **Thanks for my beta as well because without her... smh I do not know where I would be. AliceInTheSunglight, thank you as always ^_^**

 **Do continue to review and do not be shy to ask questions you guys!**

 **See you soon~!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"You're telling me that I'm your only other crew member?!" To say Zoro looks incredulous is an understatement. At the moment the two are sitting at the bar of Rika's mother once again, devouring the food provided by the woman.

"That's not true. There's Mona!" Hearing the name of the perverted orange-head makes Zoro cringe. Luffy points to said girl who sits at a table. She is at the moment entertaining the young Rika by making funny movements with the stuffed teddy bear bag. Hearing her name, Monalisa looks up and waves, giving the two a big smile.

"So we're just going to call us three a pirate crew?" Zoro demands, irritation growing as he tries his best to not strangle the straw hat wearing boy.

"What's wrong with that? We're strong." Luffy's eyebrows pull together as he tries to figure out what has the swordsman so worried. Zoro gives the boy a glare but he can't argue with seeing as Luffy has a point. Both Luffy and the midget had proved how strong they are yesterday. From what Zoro has gathered after waking up, Monalisa somehow managed to carry him all the way back to the bar without breaking a sweat – which he finds rather suspicious.

For now, he'll let the issue of their number slide. He has more important things to focus on at the moment anyway.

"Fine," Zoro finally says. "What about a ship? You do have one of those right?"

"Yep!" Pointing outside the window that is not too far from where they sat, Luffy grins. Following the direction his finger is pointing Zoro looks outside. Getting up for a closer look, Zoro squints trying to make out where exactly the ship is.

"I don't see anything but a small fishing boat."

"That's it!" Luffy's confirmation has Zoro spinning around to face him. It seems the boy isn't joking either. Looking to Monalisa he sees her giving him a helpless smile before looking away as Rika does her own impersonation of a bear's roar.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Don't worry, we'll get a bigger ship with a pirate flag and everything!" Luffy assures, biting into another piece of meat on his plate.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Zoro asks, dreading the answer that he knows is coming.

"I don't know yet. I'll figure something out."

"I should've known...," Zoro groans, rubbing his temples. He can feel a headache coming on. He wonders if he'll get a lot of these, being around his idiotic captain. He hopes not... But something tells him that he would. "Why did I make this airhead my captain?"

"We'll get more crew members once we hit the Grand Line, I'm sure of it!" Luffy says, ignoring Zoro's words.

Coby who's been sitting not too far away from them and silently listening in on their conversation, spits out the orange juice he had been drinking.

"You three alone on the Grand Line looking for crew members? That's impossible!" Coby yells.

"Rumor has it that whoever enters the Grand Line never comes back out and if they do, they're a corpse." Rika's mother states worriedly from behind the bar, wiping a glass dry.

"That's where we're headed though," Monalisa says coming to join the conversation and leaving Rika with Roger the bear. "The One Piece is said to be somewhere on the Grand Line so..."

"That's right," Luffy says with a grin.

"I guess it can't be helped," Zoro adds shrugging.

"It's nice that you're worried about us, Coby-kun." Monalisa looks at the pink haired boy giving him a smile.

"Of course I'm worried about you guys! You are my friends!" He slaps a hand over his mouth as Luffy, Monalisa and Zoro look at him. A blush takes over his face as he releases his hold on his mouth, finding it hard to look the three in the eye. "We are friends right?"

Luffy grins as Monalisa coos, mumbling how adorable the short boy looks. "Of course we are friends. Even if we part ways, Coby."

Coby lets out a sigh of relief, his shoulders sagging as the tension is released. "I'm glad. I've never had friends before... much less anyone who would fight to defend me. Heck, I've never fought for myself before!"

Looking at the three, Coby face becomes serious as determination enters his eyes. "But you three have taught me to fight for what I believe in! I've decided to make my childhood dream come through! I'm going to join the marines!"

"You should worry about yourself then," Zoro states, gaining Coby's attention. "Weren't you apart of Alvida's crew? Even if it was forced on you, you were still a part of it. It won't take long for the navy to find out about that, don't doubt their information gathering skills. Once they do, there's no way you'll be able to join."

"T-that's r-right...," Coby mutters, his determination wavering upon the swordsman's words. Before he can go on, Coby is interrupted as the door to the bar swings open revealing a group of marines.

"Excuse me," starts the leader of the group, his eyes trained on Luffy and company as he walks straight up to him. "Is it true that you are pirates?"

Luffy nods. "Yep," he answers, not thinking much of it. "We just got a new member too."

"We appreciate that you have saved our town and lives from that dreadful man," the marine says, "However, now that we know that you are pirates, we will have to ask that you leave."

"What?" Rika gasps, coming closer holding the teddy bear bag tightly in her grasp. Monalisa lets out a sigh, understanding the situation almost immediately. Resting a hand on Rika's head, Monalisa ruffles her hair a little making the girl look up at her.

"It's going to be fine, munchkin."

"Out of gratitude," the marine man continues. "We will not contact Marine Headquarters."

It seems the nearby townspeople don't agree with the marine's actions as they begin to yell out protests, but Luffy is quick to get up with a smile on his face which in turn makes the bar go quiet.

"Alright, we should go now. Thanks for the food, lady!"

"It seems I have to go now," Monalisa says, removing her hand from Rika's head and giving the girl a small smile as the child reluctantly relinquishes her hold on Roger the bear and handing it over to the orange-head. "I can't wait to see you again, Rika-chan."

"You guys are going already?" Rika's disappointment is clear in her tone and expression as the three begin to head out of the bar.

"Yep," Luffy answers, while Monalisa gives Rika's mother a soft thank-you as the woman places a large bag of food in her hand.

The leader of the group of marines looks over to a silent Coby and his eyes narrow in suspicion. "Aren't you apart of their crew?"

Coby gasps, eyes widening as he tries to formulate an answer, beginning to sweat under the man's gaze.

"Well?" Seeing that he's not getting an answer from the trembling boy, the marine looks to Luffy for answers. "Is he a part of your crew?"

"No," Luffy says but tilts his head slightly to the side. "But I know what he's been doing for the past two years."

Coby gaps, shocked to think that the straw hat wearing boy would honestly... No he wouldn't – would he?

"There was this fat lady pirate about this size." Using his hands, Luffy demonstrates. "I forgot what her name was... something with an 'A' in it. She had this big iron club and she was really ugly, right Mona?"

The orange haired girl nods, shuffling her back pack around so as to put it on her back while also holding the large bag of food – she doesn't appear to be paying the tense atmosphere any mind and instead focuses on her task. Luffy walks up to a stunned Coby, poking him in the head.

"And this little guy here... was a part of –" Luffy's taunt is cut short as Coby's fist connects with his face which makes the people located in the bar gasp. Monalisa looks up and raises an eyebrow at the scene.

"Now you've done it, bastard." Luffy smirks, rubbing his jaw before lunging right toward the shorter boy. A fight breaks out, with Luffy clearly dominating it. The two tumble into a table, breaking it before the marine group's leader speaks up, having had enough.

"Stop that!" he demands. "You need to leave now and stop causing so much trouble!"

"Oi, you made your point!" Zoro grabs Luffy from off of Coby, dragging him to the door, where a silent Monalisa holds the door open.

"It's clear the three of you are not friends with him, so he can stay," the man states. "But you three need to leave immediately!"

The three head out of the bar, silence taking over as no one makes a move to follow them. Monalisa lets out a sigh as she hefts the brown bag of food over her shoulder with one hand while she tugs her hair loose from the bun, making the braids fall out to reach her mid back. It doesn't take them long to reach their small boat and when they do, Zoro lets out a snort.

"That was pretty lame acting skills, Luffy." Zoro looks at said boy. Luffy's face is hidden from his view due to his hat having suddenly lowered to cover it. "I'm surprised they didn't see through it."

"He couldn't have learned that from me," Monalisa huffs, making her way onto the boat. "I'm disappointed in you, Lu."

"No biggie," Luffy laughs, "Coby'll handle the rest. I'm sure he can manage it."

"Leaving a town where the townspeople hate you, can't say it isn't pirate-like." Zoro smirks, second to get himself onto the boat.

"I guess so!" Luffy laughs again, also getting on and untying the boat from the dock.

"Luffy-san!" Hearing his name, Luffy turns around along with Monalisa and Zoro to see the short, pink haired boy running toward the dock followed closely by Rika and her mother. Coby comes to a stop and takes a stand, saluting the trio.

"Thank you for everything! I'll never forget what you've done for me!"

"Let's meet again, Coby!" Luffy yells, waving, but is shoved out of the way by a teary-eyed Monalisa.

"Bye Coby-kun, munchkin and munchkin's mom!" Monalisa cries out, waving her hand.

"Mona, move it!"

"Bye!" Rika cries out, waving as well. The marines appear all standing to salute the three which has Zoro raising an eyebrow.

"Never thought I would see the day when Marines would honestly salute a bunch of pirates," he comments.

"See ya!" Luffy calls out, finally getting the chance to move the still crying Monalisa out of the way once more. Turning away now, Luffy points straight ahead. "Alright! Our pirate crew is setting sail and I'll become King of the Pirates!"

* * *

It's only an hour before Zoro begins to question the duo that he now might (possibly) have to spend the rest of his life with.

"You seem kind of obsessed with this King of the Pirates thing," Zoro comments, looking at the humming teenager. "What's your reason?"

"I don't really have a reason," Luffy answers, pausing in his humming. "I just swore to a certain man that I'll gather up a crew, find the world's greatest treasure, and become the King of the Pirates!" Lifting the straw hat off his head, Luffy looks down at it. "I swore that on this hat."

"I see," Zoro can believe something so simple would be Luffy's reason. He seems to be just a simple person – to Zoro anyway. Looking to the orange haired girl who was busy releasing her hair from the plaits, Zoro asks her as well, "Why're you here?"

"Mmmm... I'm here because I wanna be here." Her answer makes Zoro's eye twitch which in turn makes Monalisa grin. "I'm just here for the chance of being able to experience adventure, honestly."

"That's it?" Zoro asks. "You're risking your life just to have an adventure?"

"Wouldn't you do the same?" Monalisa's eyes look to him, questioning. Zoro's eyebrows furrow but before he can comment Luffy steps in.

"Mona's also here because she wants to see me and Ace get strong so we can protect ourselves! She's really just a mom!" Luffy says, a grin on his face. His words seem to cause Monalisa to freeze before she grabs a hold of the boy and begins to give the boy a noogie that has him crying out.

"Didn't I say to never say that out loud? I'm not a mom!"

"Yes you are. You're always badgering me to do things like only a mom would do, so that makes you a mom!" Luffy finally gets out of her hold as Monalisa huffs looking away.

"Is it wrong to worry about the two of you and your welfare?" Zoro sweatdrops at the sight of the girl becoming dramatic, clasping her hands as she stares out at the sea with teary eyes.

"So I'm guessing the two of you grew up together, huh." Zoro says finally.

"Yeah! Mona's mom is a bandit. Mona used to steal men's underwear too!"

"She used to do what now?"

"Shut up, Luffy!"

"Anyway, you said you're the supposed helmsman, right?" Zoro asks Monalisa who pauses in her glaring to look at him. "Then that means you can navigate. So I'll leave that to you."

"Actually I'm not all that good with navigating. But I know the basics!" Monalisa says, somehow thinking that's good enough.

"What do you mean you only know the basics? What kind of helmsman are you supposed to be?!" Zoro snaps.

"Hey now, don't get your panties into a twist, I'm sure we can figure something out." Monalisa mumbles, offended by the green haired man's words.

"I'm not even going to ask if you can navigate," Zoro mutters looking to Luffy who at the moment is picking his nose. "I get the feeling you don't even know the first thing about it."

"Nope! No clue!" Luffy says with a grin and Zoro lets out a sigh of annoyance. "You're a bounty hunter, you should know how to get around at sea."

"I don't recall ever referring to myself as a bounty hunter," Zoro retorts, giving Luffy a glare. "I had set out to sea to look for a certain man a while ago, but I couldn't get back to my village. I had no choice, so I went after pirates for a living."

"So you're lost," Luffy states, which causes a tick mark to appear on the swordsman's forehead.

"That's not it at all!" Zoro snaps while Monalisa snorts but she quickly looks away seeing that her lapse had made Zoro turn to her with a glare. Heaving out a sigh, Zoro calms himself down before looking back at Luffy. "So what do we do now?"

"Just keep rowing," Luffy answers simply. "We're bound to reach an island soon."

"You're too carefree!" Zoro yells, but his outburst doesn't faze Luffy who just gives him a grin. Hearing the rustling of paper, Zoro looks to find Monalisa has conjured up what looks to be a map of sorts.

"I got this while I went shopping in town," Monalisa murmurs, laying the map flat out on the boat's floor her fingers trailing over the contents of map. "It's not very informative, but I know we're somewhere around here, seeing as we haven't left Shells Town that long ago."

"Shells Town?" Luffy repeats. "Is that the name of the place we were at?"

"Yeah," Monalisa says. Her finger trails away from the small dot to another one. "If we continue to go north, we should reach another town in approximately a day or two."

"That's good," Zoro says. "The food should last us that long."

"I doubt it," Monalisa says looking up with a dry smile. "Knowing Luffy, he'll try to eat all before the day ends."

"What?" Looking at the boy in question who stares at them with an innocent look on his face, Zoro gives him a threatening glare. "You better make sure that that food lasts us until we reach that island."

Luffy blinks before his stomach gives a loud rumble that makes Monalisa sigh.

"Mona, I'm hungry."

* * *

Zoro's threat doesn't do much to keep Luffy from devouring almost half of the bag before the day ends. This in turn causes Luffy to receive several hits to the head courtesy of Zoro himself, while Monalisa sets to secure the bag as far away from him as the small boat would allow. This also doesn't do much seeing as Monalisa is a complete sucker, and the food doesn't last for the second day.

Zoro with the help of his swords kills a sea king – Monalisa doesn't even want to know what he plans to do with it.

"Sushi!" Luffy exclaims, which has Monalisa nearly puking, but she leaves the boys to do as they please while she survives on the few chocolate bars she stored away in her bag along with crackers.

It doesn't really surprise her while she is asleep that Luffy manages to do something stupid. The boy is known for doing stupid things – especially when he's hungry. So when Zoro rudely wakes her up to tell her that Luffy somehow managed to get captured by a large bird and is now flying away from them, Monalisa can only sigh while readying herself to get her best friend back.

Because really, what kind of best friend would allow their friend to be eaten by a bird? Audience, please do not answer that question.

* * *

 **So we dive straight into Buggy Arc where we meet Nami and Buggy~**

 **I've got a question for you guys. Whose your favorite villain in the OP universe? Mine would have to be either Crocodile or Buggy- so far anyway. Doflamingo is pretty cool too.**

 **I'm thinking of putting up omakes of Monalisa during her time with the bandits and ASL... That should be coming up starting from chapter ten so look forward to that!**

 **You guys go ahead and tell me what you think via pm or review seeing as I love hearing from you. Thank you to all that have taken the time to leave a review (even if it was a little 'please update') it was appreciated as always**

 **And as always, this chapter was edited by myself and my beta, AliceInTheSunlight**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Monalisa cannot bring herself to be either angry or surprised by Luffy's clear lack of thought; she has long gotten used to his actions and stupidity, so that at this point she can only let out a sigh. Zoro, on the other hand, is somewhat new to the dark haired teen's antics and so speedily puts up the sails while grabbing the oars and begins to row furiously. She should comment that Luffy would be fine, but the look on the swordsman's face makes her think twice about it.

"That moron!" he yells out, not even slowing in his rowing, as he follows the bird. "What the hell was he thinking?!"

"Food would be what he was thinking at the moment," Monalisa answers. "It's what he thinks about most of the time."

"How are you so calm about this?!"

"I've seen Luffy do worse, this is nothing compared to what he's done in the past." Monalisa takes the time to survey their surroundings, taking her eyes off the bird to find three men floating helplessly in the open sea; she adds, "Oh look, idiots that think it's smart to swim in the middle of the sea."

"Oi! Stop!" one of the men yells out, spotting the boat. Zoro looks away from the bird that holds the still yelling Luffy to find that the orange-haired girl is right.

"I can't stop so you'll have to jump on!" Zoro doesn't have time to waste on saving suspicious looking men in water. They have to save themselves. He can't find it in himself to leave them in the water but he sure as hell is not going to stop for a bunch of idiots.

The boat makes its way through the three men who dive to make room. They quickly grab on to the boat, while simultaneously yelling for their lives.

They quickly hoist themselves into the boat, and Monalisa moves as far away as she can from the soaking wet men. The one in the middle holds up a knife and points it straight at Monalisa, not missing a beat.

"We're pirates from Buggy the Clown's crew and we're taking over this boat," the man announces.

"Hahhh?" Zoro and Monalisa both say, Zoro with a glare while Monalisa lets her head tilt slightly up as she sneers.

With three good hits from one of his swords Zoro has the men whimpering as Monalisa huffs, crossing her hands across her chest. "Zoro, let them row the boat."

"Eh? Did you say Zoro?" the one to right gasps, eyes growing wide.

"Yeah I'm Roronoa Zoro, got a problem with that?" Shoving the oars over to the three, Zoro does just as Monalisa asks. "Since you know who I am now, you should start rowing."

They don't need to be told twice.

"We are so sorry," the one in the middle says, beginning to sweat profusely when feeling Zoro's gaze on him. "We didn't know you were the famous pirate hunter, Zoro-san."

"Because of you three, we lost sight of our friend." Zoro clicks his tongue, looking away from the now empty sky toward the three men. "Keep going straight, we should be able to find Luffy if we continue north."

"If you men don't mind me asking," Monalisa starts, scooting away from her position behind Zoro to get a better look at the men, "You said that you are from a pirate crew, correct?"

"Yeah, we're from Buggy the Clown's crew," answers the apparent leader of the small group.

"Buggy the Clown?" Monalisa tries to remember if she had ever heard the name before. Nothing comes to mind at the moment, so she shrugs her shoulders. "I don't think I've heard that name before."

"Buggy the Clown is our captain and he ate a devil fruit that makes him a terrifying person." The one behind the leader says.

"The Sober Sober fruit?" Zoro asks.

"Maybe it's the Kill Kill fruit," Monalisa muses, putting a finger to her chin in thought.

"Don't make up fruit names!" the leader snaps, making Monalisa raise an eyebrow while Zoro glares. All three men yelp.

"Just continue rowing!" Once again, Zoro doesn't need to speak twice and the three quicken their rowing as Monalisa retrieves a hair tie from in her bag. Something about this situation tells her that she'll need to fight. Ever since leaving the village, Monalisa finds that they have been heading into danger at every turn. Maybe that's because they are now criminals out at sea, or because Luffy is some kind of danger magnet.

With her hair out of the way in a high ponytail, Monalisa moves to roll up the sleeves of her checkered button up shirt – a hand me down from little Rika's mother. The heat of the midday sun is getting to her and seeing as her last outfit was ruined upon their adventures at Shells Town, Monalisa had to get new clothes which Rika's mother had graciously offered. At least the capris were short and allowed the sea's breeze to cool her legs.

It only takes them about an hour to get to the harbor of the small town Monalisa had predicted they would reach. She finds it odd to see that not a person is about – not even fishing boats docked, making the area eerily quiet. What Monalisa does spot is a ship that she can only guess is this supposed Buggy's ship, judging by the red nose on the jolly roger that reminds her of a clown.

"That's Buggy ship isn't it?" Monalisa points at the ship to which the leader nods confirming it. Getting off the boat, Monalisa awaits her green haired companion.

A sudden explosion is heard along with a flash of green and yellow smoke. Monalisa, who is startled at the explosion, now narrows her eyes in the direction of the noise.

"What was that?" Zoro asks, his hand automatically going to his swords that rest in the green sash tied around his waist.

The three men seem to have a good idea and are now huddled close together with looks of alarm on their faces. "That was Captain's Buggy Ball."

"Sounds powerful," Zoro says and Monalisa can see that the green haired man is itching to find out just how powerful it is by the smirk on his face. Looking down to her, Zoro asks, "You think Luffy might be here on this island?"

"More than likely," Monalisa answers, looking back to the site of the explosion. "And I have this feeling that he's in the thick of things as usual."

"I'm not surprised," Zoro says with a grin. Monalisa gets the idea that Zoro somehow approves of Luffy's actions as well. "You three over there, take us to this Buggy person."

"Yes, sir!"

"Zoro, you're going the wrong way again." Monalisa can barely hide her amusement as she steers her taller crewmate from behind with her hands. "You got directional problems, hun?"

"Of course not!" Sure he denies it, but Monalisa can't help but think that that's a lie. She'll have to look into it later. The three men lead the duo onto a rooftop close to a tent that is set up not too far away from Buggy's ship.

"Is this some kind of circus themed pirate crew?" Monalisa says under her breath, taking in the various men dressed in clothing that resembled what acrobats, jugglers and such wore. She is shushed by Zoro who returns his attention to the large group of men who have not yet noticed them. Monalisa thinks it has something to do with the familiar looking young woman who stands surrounded in their middle. A cage is also set in the midst of the crowd and Monalisa can spot her best friend being held hostage in said cage.

What makes Monalisa let out a low growl is that the young woman is standing in front a canon which points straight to Luffy. The orange-haired girl is holding the wicker with her bare hands.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Let's have her die flashily!" a voice orders. The men are quick to respond and gather up their weapons and head for the girl.

"Watch out!" Luffy warns her, but the girl is frozen in place from what can only be fear. Zoro moves and just like the last time, he is fast to appear and draw his weapon.

"Oi," Zoro says, eyes dark as he regards the men he has stopped with just the scabbards of his swords. "How many of you are going to take on one girl?"

"Zoro!" Luffy calls from inside the cage, clearly glad to see his crew mate. Zoro ignores him in favor of looking back to find the young woman's eyes are on him.

"You okay?" he asks her and it takes her awhile to respond.

"Y-yeah I'm fine," she answers. Monalisa doesn't waste time and makes her way over to where Luffy is, ignoring the startled men and the stares that are thrown her way.

"Luffy, thank God you're okay," Monalisa sighs as she stops in front of the cage and goes onto her knees. Luffy startles when her hands slip past the bars of the cage to grab onto his face. She pulls him forward, twisting his head from one way to another. "You're not hurt are you?"

"I'm fine, Mona." Shoving her hands away from his face, Luffy grins. "How'd you guys find me anyway?"

"I heard an explosion and knew you would be where it came from," is Monalisa's explanation and it seems to be enough for Luffy. Zoro is quick to state his annoyance though.

"You should stop playing around like a kid, Luffy," the swordsman walks to where the two are. "Not only did you get caught by a bird, but now you're somehow in a cage."

"Zoro was very worried," Monalisa says which causes the swordsman to snap at her, which in turn makes Luffy laugh. The straw hat wearing teen has found it funny since they met how easy it is for Zoro to lose his cool.

"So you're Pirate Hunter Zoro," comes the voice from earlier. Looking up, Monalisa finds the owner of the voice easily. Dressed just as his name suggests, Monalisa is sure that this is Buggy the Clown. He's rather tall with blue hair and a bright red nose; clown make up covers his face. "Are you here to take my head or something?"

"I don't do pirate hunting anymore," Zoro answers. "I'm not interested in you."

"You might not be interested in me, but I'm interested in you," Buggy states, taking a step further and challenging the swordsman with his eyes. "Killing you would make me more famous."

"I wouldn't try it, you'd die." Zoro's eyes narrow the man who grins manically while pulling out a dagger in one hand while revealing three in the other.

Twirling the dagger, Buggy's grin doesn't waver. "Is that so?"

Monalisa wrinkles her nose slightly when the man licks his blade. Now that's just nasty, who does that anyway?

Zoro moves away from Monalisa and Luffy and lets out a sigh. "I guess words don't work on you." The men surrounding them begin to chant for their captain.

"Die flashily!" Buggy charges forward, dagger raised. Zoro wastes no time and pulls one of his swords free, cutting the captain down.

"Too easy," Zoro scoffs, staring down at the pieces of Buggy. Monalisa raises an eyebrow at the clear lack of blood before looking up and noticing that the men's expressions haven't changed at the sight of their dismembered captain.

"They're smiling," Monalisa comments. "That was too easy, Zoro. Something isn't right."

"Maybe they're happy that we defeated their captain?" Luffy suggests, clearly thinking back to when they were at Shells Town and the marines had celebrated upon the defeat of Morgan.

"No, this is a different kind of happy." Monalisa's eyes narrow as she moves to stand in front of Luffy's cage. Something isn't right...

Her eyes widen remembering what the men said earlier. "Zoro, he's not dead he's-"

A knife appears out of nowhere and embeds itself into Zoro's side. Luffy and the young woman yell as the swordsman falls to his knees. Monalisa curses while quickly removing her large bag from her back and taking out her axe.

Monalisa watches as the pieces of the clown begin to reassemble, once again reforming Buggy. Devil Fruits were so unnatural to her that the first time she had seen Luffy stretch, she fainted. It was something Monalisa had never seen before in her past life as they didn't exist there. But here, they did. And boy, was it weird to witness.

"The Chop Chop Fruit! That's the name of the Devil Fruit that I ate!" Buggy proclaims proudly. "I am a Chop Chop person and I can't be cut!"

"That's so weird." Luffy tilts his head to the side and Monalisa can't help but snort giving her friend a look.

"You're just as weird, Lu," she states, before turning around and muttering under breath. "But much cuter."

"I'm not cute!"

Zoro lets out a huff as the knife is pulled out of his side by Buggy's detached hand. It floats right back to its owner and attaches itself to Buggy as he cackles.

"I haven't hit any vital organs, but that wound is pretty fatal so you'll die any time now," Buggy states. "That means I win!"

The men once again begin to chant for their captain as Zoro slumps forward. Monalisa moves to hold him up before he hits the ground. She notices the blood beginning to pool into his sash and shirt and mutters a curse once again.

"Stabbing him from behind was a coward move, big nose!" Luffy roars from his place in the cage. The crew members of Buggy's all let out scandalized gasps simultaneously.

"W-who are you calling big nose?!" Buggy snarls, face going red from embarrassment and anger. He throws a knife straight at the cage, intending to kill the straw hat wearing boy for the insult.

Luffy easily catches the knife with his teeth and spits it out to the side. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Kick my ass?" Buggy laughs. "I find that hard to believe. You are at a clear disadvantage – all four of you are going to die right here!"

The orange-haired woman shrieks, frantically looking around. Her eyes land on Monalisa who has by then let go of Zoro who shrugged her off. "Hey you, do something!"

"Me?" Monalisa asks, pointing a finger to herself while tilting her head to the side. "What should I do, red?"

"My name's Nami, don't call me that!" The young woman snaps. "You have an axe in your hand. Do something with it!"

Flicking the handle back in, Monalisa returns her axe to her bag as Nami lets out a yell of frustration at the girl's act. "Why did you put it away?!"

"Because I feel like using my fists today," Monalisa states simply, walking toward the girl. Nami backs away on reflex but the shorter girl passes her and moves to the cannon. "You guys really annoyed me today."

"What?" Buggy says, giving the girl an annoyed look. "You gonna do something about it, short stack?"

"I am actually." Monalisa lets her hands come onto the mouth of cannon as her eyes land on Buggy. "I'm going to shoot you with this cannon."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Nami snaps, but she gets her answer as Monalisa lifts the cannon easily and throws it, so that it flips to aim at Buggy and his crew, who all let out yells of surprise.

"I don't like the fact that you guys tied up Luffy and put him in a cage like some kind of animal." Monalisa's eyes are shadowed as she pulls a lighter from between her breasts and flicks it open. "So to compensate for it, please die."

"There's a Buggy ball in there!" Buggy yells out, eyes wide. His crew nod vigorously, all confirming the existence of the famous ball in the canaon..

"Really?" Monalisa tilts her head to the side as a sadistic smile crosses her face. "More reason to light it then. I wanna see what this so called 'Buggy ball' can do."

Buggy and his crew are too late to do anything as Monalisa lights the wick and the canon fires just a few seconds after. The crew and half of the ground are blown away, leaving the four to stare at the now vacant space. Monalisa turns around dusting her hands as Nami stares at her with her mouth hanging open.

"That takes care of that; now for Luffy." Brushing Zoro away who is about to lift the cage, Monalisa places her hands onto the bars. "No need to make your wounds any worse than they are, Zoro."

"What-" Zoro's eyes widen when the girl easily spreads the bars with her hands before ripping them out, making space for Luffy to get out. Wiggling out, Luffy gives Monalisa a grin.

"Thanks, Mona!"

"No problem." Grasping the ropes that tie his hands together behind his back, Monalisa rips them apart. "You don't have rope burns, do you?"

"Nope!"

"How...," Nami whispers staring at the girl who looks to her with a grin. "How were you able to do that so easily?"

"Easy," Monalisa says getting to her feet as Zoro stares at the girl with a dumbstruck expression. She's been able to rip steel bars out of place all along? "I just happen to be a hulk here."

"A what now?"

* * *

 **#Edited by the lovely AliceInTheSunlight (now RosesToPaint)**

 **A bit short but please bare with me XD.**

 **I just finished all of dubbed episodes of One Piece and I feel incomplete awaiting episodes 517 and onwards to be dubbed. To me, I prefer the dub over the sub. My dear viewers, which do you prefer?**

 **Look forward to hearing from you so do review ^_^**

 **Until next time~!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

Nami and Zoro's looks of confusion are something that Monalisa has witnessed many times before. Of course, these odd looks aren't new due to Monalisa's are things that Monalisa can remember from her past. Simple things, like what street she once lived on – Camp street – or how to find her rather annoying cat – always hiding in the dirty laundry for some reason.

She remembers all of her favorite songs. Well most, as she makes it her duty to write them down along with folktales, fairy tales and comics once she remembers. Many times, Monalisa would slip up and say something that was weird – like right now, mentioning the comic hero Hulk, leads to their current predicament.

Luffy laughs and tries to explain what he learned about the green hero that Monalisa told him about. It wasn't that she cared very much about saying something odd – she was known for it back with the bandits – but she didn't want to say something too strange that might raise questions. Most of the time, people just thought she made up these things, believing that the orange-haired teen has a wild imagination. She hates having to explain herself, so she just goes with it.

People might think she's a little bit of a crazy person too, if she said that the information was just what she remembered from her past life from another world.

"Mona makes up these really weird stories all the time! One time she even told me a story of a man who flew around in a suit of armor and he shoots lasers out of his hands!" Luffy grins. He is ahead of the three but faces them as he walks backward. They have just moved away from the scene where they blew away Buggy with his crew. The trio now make their way to some shelter to get Zoro's wound looked after. Nami decided to stick with them, although Monalisa has her suspicions that it's because she's scared to go off on her own.

"So the Hulk is one of them, huh." Zoro gives the short girl a glance as she shrugs her shoulders.

"Yeah, he's a big green monster that can crush anything with his bare hands," Monalisa answers, walking with a skip in her step.

"You're not a big green monster though." Nami squints as if wondering if the girl really could turn into one.

"No, but I can punch through boulders without much trouble." Nami can't argue with that seeing as the girl displayed her monstrous strength not too long ago.

"How can you do that?" Zoro wants to know. Did she train as hard as he did? Yeah, it had to be that-

"I dunno." Monalisa shrugs, not seeming to be bothered over the fact. "I just woke up one morning and managed to break our table with a simple slam of my fist."

"Eh?"

"I remember that," Luffy laughs out loud, throwing his head back. "You were really angry when someone ate the pie you were saving."

"Not 'someone'." Monalisa glares at the straw hat wearing boy. "If I remember correctly, it was you."

Luffy can only grin while turning around, not wanting to rile up Monalisa about the past. She is known for keeping grudges, and he has reasons to suspect that bringing up anything related to the food he often stole from her in past is a bad idea.

"How're you holding up?" Her question has Zoro looking down to see Monalisa's eyes are on the wound to his side that he has a hand over.

"I can handle it," the swordsman grunts, moving away slightly when she reaches out a hand as if to touch the wound. If he were being honest, his vision is kind of blurry and his steps are slower as he sways on his feet. He lost a lot of blood after all, so this doesn't surprise him.

"Look! A dog!" Luffy's loud voice has Monalisa looking away from Zoro to find that Luffy has stopped in front of what looks to be a store. Indeed standing there is a white puppy. Monalisa swoons as she glides to stand beside Luffy, cooing all the while.

"Too cute!" Monalisa exclaims.

"Is it dead?" Luffy questions, confused on why the dog doesn't move. Stooping down, Luffy reaches to poke the canine which in turn makes it chomp down on his hand.

"Gah! Ow, that hurts!" Luffy screams as he tries to remove his hand from inside the dog's mouth, but it seems it has a good grip and doesn't let go. "Mona, help me!"

"Here little cutie," Monalisa coos, stooping low with a hand outstretched to the dog. "Come here before you get rabies from that mean ole pirate guy."

"Oi!"

It seems the dog somehow understands; he lets go of Luffy but he doesn't make a move to come near Monalisa. Instead he goes to sit right back in front of the store. Pulling her hand back, Monalisa's eyebrows furrow as her bottom lip juts out at the rejection.

"He doesn't like you," Luffy guffaws, which earns him a thump to his head from Monalisa as she gets to her feet. Her eyes find Nami, who had been quiet the whole time and she raises an eyebrow while moving closer to her.

"Shouldn't you be heading wherever you need to? Don't need to stick around anymore." Nami seems startled by her voice suddenly being so close and she looks down at the girl.

"Eh? She's our navigator, Mona. She's with us." At Luffy's words Monalisa shrugs, taking a step back as Nami splutters and turns to glare at the boy.

"What are you people doing here? Are you a part of that terrible man's crew?" An old man makes his presence known by raising his voice and fist in a warning manner.

"Huh?" Luffy says, tilting his head to the side. "We're a part of my crew, old man. No one else's."

"You better not hurt Chouchou!" The old man doesn't seem to care about Luffy's words as he takes a threatening step towards them. At that moment he spots Zoro who looks close to collapsing and he falters. "You're hurt. Did that Buggy pirate do that to you?"

"Yes," Monalisa answers. "Do you have any medical supplies we can treat him with? We promise, we're not here to harm you."

"Ah yes. I can show you to my house so that he can be treated." Monalisa doesn't waste time in walking over to Zoro and offering support as the old man shows the four to his house. It isn't very far from the pet store that the dog is guarding. It is quite small, being only one story, but Monalisa doesn't pay much attention to the details and with the first aid kit she guides the swordsman to the provided bed.

"It's such a sad way for me to see you shirtless, Zo-chan." Monalisa lets out a sigh as she removes the blood soaked shirt, ignoring Luffy's question about if she has food to give. Zoro gives the girl a wary glance but sees that her expression is serious instead of amused.

The old man, who has introduced himself as Boodle and proclaims himself to be the mayor of this town, decides to treat Luffy and Nami to some food while explaining the story behind Chouchou. Monalisa listens, though her eyes never move from her work of stitching and cleaning Zoro's wound.

She has had previous experiences with taking care of wounds as Luffy and his antics were sometimes rather dangerous back on Dawn island. She remembers that day when Ace and Sabo dragged Luffy back from one of their adventures out in the forest. All three of their bodies were littered with cuts and bruises – some that Monalisa couldn't even stomach the sight of.

 _"I don't understand how you guys can be so reckless!"_

 _"Mah, we're okay, aren't we?"_

 _"That still doesn't change the fact that you were hurt."_

Letting out a sigh, Monalisa looks up to find that Zoro has passed out which doesn't surprise her much. Cutting the thread, Monalisa quickly finishes up before tying bandages around the wound. The green haired man grunts when his torso is inevitably lifted during the wrapping. Muttering a quiet apology, Monalisa returns her attention to the conversation behind her.

When Luffy and Nami decide to follow after Boodle to check up on Chouchou, Monalisa stays behind to keep watch over Zoro.

It seems they are off to feed the small dog; all the while Boodle continues his tale on Chouchou's past. Getting up from beside the bed, Monalisa situates herself in a chair facing where the swordsman lays.

Although her eyes are fixed onto Zoro's chest, which moves with every breath he takes, her mind is far away.

They are going to get hurt like this again – maybe worse. The thought makes the young teen shudder. They will need a doctor as soon as possible. Basic first aid can only take them so far. They also needed a cook – she isn't much of one – and a navigator...

An image of Nami appears in Monalisa's mind, making her eyes narrow. She doesn't trust her; actually now that she thinks about it...

Her eyes refocus onto the swordsman. _I don't think I trust Zoro either._

She isn't like Luffy – she can't trust people so blindly – but Zoro did show that he at least is worth some semblance of trust after saving them twice now. But Nami... she's different. She isn't like Zoro; Monalisa can already see the way the girl seems to keep her distance. The way she gives Luffy and Zoro – and herself too – wary glances. It's the way someone behaved who had no intention of trusting anyone.

Monalisa would know.

"What's with that serious look?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Monalisa finds Zoro's eyes on her.

"You should be resting. Luffy went out for a while, so take the time to get some shut-eye," Monalisa says, stretching out.

"Well, I can feel you thinking all the way over here so could you turn it down?" His words make her smirk.

"You can feel me near? Well, isn't that cute." Of course her answer has the green-haired man glaring and it only makes her smirk widen.

Something makes the hair on Monalisa's back stand up and the short girl is on her feet, eyes sharp as the amusement leaves her face. Zoro notices and is about to ask what is it but at that precise moment, the place explodes around the two and rubble falls on top of them, silencing whatever the swordsman is about to say.

* * *

When the row of houses explodes, the first thing on Luffy's mind is –

"Zoro! Mona!" He doesn't look to see if Nami or the old man are following and instead races back to the mayor's house. He comes to a stop in front of the now demolished home, Nami right behind him with Boodle.

"Are they even still alive?" Nami questions, dubious as she inspects the damaged house.

"My house!" The mayor yells in distress. "It's ruined!"

"Hey! You guys still alive?" Luffy's yell is followed by a few seconds of silence before a loud voice sounds out. As the smoke clears, they find the two with Zoro standing whilst pointing a finger at Monalisa who calmly sits within the debris.

"What is wrong with you?" Zoro yells, eyes set on the short girl who doesn't seem to be phased by his yelling.

"I was helping dig you out," is her answer as she gets up and dusts her clothes off. "Be grateful."

"I know that but you didn't have to grope me!" Nami lets out a snicker while turning her face away, placing a hand over her mouth to try and smother it. The swordsman's blush and constant yelling seem quite comical to her.

"You have a nice ass." Monalisa shrugs before looking to Luffy. "We're alive if you still wanted to know."

It seems Monalisa's words snap Nami back to reality as she stares at the two. "How can you still be alive?"

"Meh, that was nothing." Monalisa makes her way through the rubble and stands beside Luffy. "I've been through worse."

"Shishsishi, remember that time when you fell over that cliff thinking that I was dead?" Luffy laughs.

"Oh God, I think we all thought I was going to be the one to die instead of you." Nami and Zoro stare at the two before looking at each other. Zoro shrugs while Nami lets out a sigh, looking away.

"I've had just about enough!" Boodle's scream has the three looking to him but the mayor doesn't pay any mind as he is too busy seething with his hands clenched. "I'm not about to lose a second town to those sea rats! They think they can just show up and wreck our island that we've spent all this time working on? It's time to fight back, dammit!"

Just as Boodle is about to storm off, Nami grabs a hold of the man. "Wait please, Boodle-san!"

"Let me go!"

"You're being too reckless. What will trying to fight them accomplish? You'll just die!"

"I know I'm being reckless!" Shaking his way out of Nami's hold, which is now easier as she is stunned by his statement, Boodle begins to run. "BUGGY THE CLOWN, prepare to face me!" It is clear that he is heading straight to where the cannon ball came from.

"The mayor..." Nami breathes out, staring after his retreating form. "He was crying."

Nami wonders why the mayor would do such a thing, even knowing that he will die. It is quite confusing for the young woman. Trying even though he knew he could fail? What an odd way of thinking.

"He did? I didn't see anything!" Luffy says, turning away.

"I'm sure I saw tears though," Monalisa comments, kind of confused by Luffy's words. When he gives her a look though, Monalisa quickly understands. "Oh, you were just saying that to look cool."

Luffy pouts. He doesn't like it when Monalisa does that.

"Things are starting to look fun," Zoro says, a smirk on his face.

"Yeah!" Luffy chuckles getting over being called out, while Monalisa rolls her eyes but a small smile appears on her lips.

"This is no laughing matter!" Nami shrieks, causing the trio to look to her. At their confused looks Nami grits her teeth, preparing herself to lash out once more.

"Don't worry, I won't let the old man get killed. I like him," Luffy assures her, making her pause.

"Why would you do that? What are you getting out of saving him, anyway?" It is a widely known fact that pirates don't just do something unless they are getting something in return.

"We're headed to the Grand Line!" he tells her, a grin on his face. "We'll steal that map back, and then we can go together!" He holds a hand out to her. "Join us! You want the map and the treasure, right?"

Nami stares at his offered hand, a frown marring her features as her mind whirrs with thoughts. Finally, she takes his hand saying, "I won't be a pirate! But we can join forces for the time being." That seems to be enough for the straw hat boy as he nods, releasing her hand from his.

The trio begins to walk, following after the now long gone Boodle. The young woman pauses, realizing that a certain green haired swordsman is accompanying them.

"You're not coming are you? You're wound isn't healed yet!" Zoro shrugs, putting a hand on his bandaged chest.

"It feels healed to me." His words not only make Nami begin another rant, but also cause Monalisa to let out a laugh.

"He'll be okay," Monalisa says to the fuming taller female. "Zo-chan's really strong and stubborn, it'll take more than that to put him down!"

"Would you stop calling me that?"

"What about 'Zo-kun', then?"

"No!"

Luffy lets out a laugh as well, throwing his head back as Nami facepalms.

 _'You would never believe we are about to face an enemy with how these three are behaving!'_. They march ahead gleefully, arms swinging and swords clinking. Nami stares after them, bemused. Then she shakes her head and follows behind.

But we can't really blame her, can we?

* * *

 **Edited all thanks to my beta, RosesToPaint.**

 **Any questions, queries or comments? Review! Just hearing from you guys is the best :) Thanks to all the follows and favorites and of course the reviews XD Glad you guys are loving this honestly.**

 **Until next time~!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

 _"You're going to get into a lot of fights when you head out there."_

 _"I know."_

 _"Make sure you always have your guard up."_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Always be armed, because you never know who's gonna be your next opponent."_

There were a lot of times Dadan reminded her of things like those. Her mother always thought that Luffy was ill-equipped to look after her daughter, and she thought that Monalisa shouldn't have to rely on anyone – Dadan didn't, that's for sure! (Dadan's cowardly nature is often mentioned by Monalisa at this precise moment). She thinks right now, her mother would've slapped her behind around the head.

"Shit," Monalisa mutters, a hand to her forehead. "I left Roger in the wreckage."

"Roger?" Nami questions, furrowing her brow.

"My backpack. My axe is in there," Monalisa answers, frowning before her face smoothes out and she shrugs her shoulders. "Oh well, I'll just fight barehanded for now."

The idea of having one of the same people who were supposed to be helping Nami unarmed doesn't sit well with the orange-haired woman. She is about to voice it but it is too late as they have arrived at Buggy's base.

They arrive right in the middle of the mayor's face-off against Buggy, who is taunting the elderly man from the rooftops. Nami gasps as the mayor dangles from Buggy's detached right hand with his legs beginning to flail, as he tries to break free from the hold.

"I w-won't let you d-destroy this town," the mayor chokes out. "I'll protect it e-even if it costs me my l-life!"

"Tch," Buggy scoffs before looking towards his men who have a cannon aimed right at the defenseless Boodle. "Is the Buggy Ball ready?! Fir-"

Buggy cuts himself off as he spots the Luffy and company. "Strawhat?"

Luffy wastes no time in freeing Boodle from Buggy's hold and the mayor sinks to his feet, coughing heavily as he's able to breathe properly once more.

"I'm back and ready to clobber you!" Luffy announces, grinning challengingly up at the clown. Luffy lets go of Buggy's hand, and it returns to its owner who continues to glare down at Luffy, teeth gritted in frustration.

"You all must enjoy pain to show yourselves here again! But this time, you won't escape me!"

Nami takes that as her cue and turns to the three pirates. "Have fun fighting, you three. I'm just here for the map and treasure!"

Monalisa purses her lips as Zoro mutters a "whatever", not bothering to look at Nami.

"You younglings," the mayor mumbles, beginning to get to his feet with everyone turning their attention to him. "This... this isn't y-your fight!" He coughs a few more times before continuing. "This is my battle, so stay out of it!" He finally stands to his full height, grasping his spear. "This is my town and I'll protect it! Do not interfere!"

Monalisa should understand why Luffy does what he does next. She guesses it is called for to knock out the mayor but...

"Did you have to be so harsh, Luffy?" Monalisa winces at the sound of Boodle's face slamming into the wall. The man falls to the ground knocked out with Luffy standing over him dusting his hands clean. Sending the unconscious man a look, she finds that his glasses have been broken and a large bruise is forming on his forehead.

"He was in the way." Luffy shrugs, not thinking anything of the matter. Zoro nods and agrees with his captain's actions but Nami of course voices her clear disagreement.

"Whose side are you on?" she demands, hands forming fists. Monalisa gets the idea that she more than likely wanted to hit the rubber-made teen.

"Don't worry about it, Yami!" ("It's Nami you dolt! And I have every right to be worried!") Luffy does not look to the young woman and instead focuses his attention right back on Buggy who has been watching in shock. "Hey big nose!"

This has the still floating man to once again become red from anger. Luffy's words has Nami going into shock once more (how stupid is this guy?) while Zoro prepares himself for the consequences of his captain's actions. Monalisa just sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"KILL THIS IDIOT NOW!" Buggy shrieks, face still red. "GIVE 'EM THE BUGGY BALL!" Following the orders of their captain, the pirates do just as he asks, lighting the wick of the cannon and releasing said ball. The perpetrator of firing the weapon laughs along with his comrades at the delightful scene of their enemies' horror-filled expressions as the ball zooms toward them.

"Luffy, watch out," Zoro warns, noticing that the teen makes no move to get away from the ball that is headed straight for him.

"That idiot is going to get himself killed!" Nami yells out, eyes scanning the area for some kind of cover. It seems she doesn't find any to rush to and so prepares herself for the onslaught. "I'm going to kill him if I die!"

"That makes no sense," Monalisa mutters.

"That canon ball's not gonna work on me! Gum Gum..." – sucking in breath at a rapid pace, Luffy's torso inflates quickly becoming large – "…Balloon!" The canon ball hits his stomach, making it bend in on itself before catapulting the canon ball right back at them.

"What in the world is that guy?" Buggy yells, shocked. "He took a direct hit from the Buggy Ball and just sent it right back!"

"You know, you could have just said you were going to do that." Zoro puts a hand to his head, sighing.

The pub that stands behind the Buggy pirates explodes as the cannon ball comes crashing down on it, spraying wood splinters and stone everywhere, which sends the men yelling as they are buried by the crumpling building.

Luffy has a broad grin on his face as he inspects his work. "That should take care of that!"

"What the hell are you?" Nami exclaims, coming out from her hiding spot behind Zoro. It was a last minute decision to hide behind the green-haired swordsman, though it doesn't seem like she had to in the first place. "How could you inflate yourself like that?"

"That was the Gum-Gum Balloon!" Luffy says, looking rather proud of his attack.

"But how do you do it?" Nami snaps; she clearly didn't want to just know the name of the attack.

Before Luffy can explain though, the sound of groans has everyone looking back to the demolished pub. Within the rubble, three figures are standing – but they are only standing due to the hold someone behind them had on their bodies. Buggy glares from his place behind the men. "You've got some nerve, Straw Hat..."

"Shouldn't really surprise me that he would use his own men as shields," Monalisa says, returning the man's glare with one of her own.

"How cruel," Nami gasps, putting a hand to her mouth as her eyes widen in shock.

"Captain." It seems someone else hid behind the men with his captain. He is rather tall with black hair, dressed just as ridiculous as the other members of Buggy's crew with a scarf around his neck. "This is the worst disgrace we've suffered ever since joining your crew."

Buggy drops the two unconscious men, scowling. "I'm so angry I can't even speak..."

"You're talking though," Monalisa comments, but Buggy must not have heard her over the sound of another voice.

"Captain Buggy, what's going on?" Monalisa blinks twice seeing the man dressed in white fur and the pink haired lion that joined Buggy beside the other man. Are there any more weird looking people on this crew? She thinks so.

They stop upon seeing the destruction and gape. "What happened here?"

"Mohji..." Buggy's voice is irritated even if he tries to cover it by appearing calm. The man that stands beside the large lion begins to sweat profusely upon hearing his name. "I thought I told you to go and finish off Roronoa Zoro... So why is he here?!"

Mohji flinches and the lion whimpers. They turn to face Luffy and his crew and both gape once again at the sight of them. "It's the straw hat guy! How did you survive? Richie should've killed you!"

"It's gonna take more than that to kill me," Luffy declares, smug. "'Cause I'm a rubber man!"

"A rubber man?" they repeat, not sure what the straw hat wearing teen means.

"A what?" Nami asks, coming to inspect him. Luffy decides to show them just what it means by gripping his cheeks and stretching them much farther than a normal person could.

"See?" Luffy asks and Nami jerks away with a gasp, eyes wide. How could he do that? How is that even possible? Nami stares, aghast, at the young teen who doesn't seem to notice and just continues to grin.

"A Devil Fruit," Buggy exclaims, face dawning with realization. "That's why my Buggy Ball didn't work on him!" Although this explains why the teen is still alive, it doesn't change the fact he is still there – a nuisance, really.

"Mohji," Buggy calls, and the man flinches away from the look his captain gives him. "I'll give you one more chance to get rid of this pest. But if you fail me again..."

Nothing more needs to be said as Mohji gives a hasty salute before facing Luffy and company.

"Now that we know you ate a Devil Fruit, we won't underestimate you again!" Mohji declares, pointing a finger at Luffy who tilts his head to the side. "Richie, take them out!"

At his master's command, the pink lion lets out an angry growl while he makes his way to complete his task.

"W-what," Nami stutters, moving backwards at every step the lion takes. "I don't want to be eaten!"

Monalisa lets out a sigh while taking a step forward, lips pulled into a frown. "I'll take care of this."

"Okay!" Luffy says, moving back to give the young teen room along with Zoro. Nami just stares at them in disbelief, making no move to step back.

"Are you just going leave her to take care of it? Are you crazy?"

Monalisa can guess why Nami is so doubtful in having her tackle such opponents. To the girl, she must look like a child that doesn't know what she was doing – more so since she doesn't have her weapon with her. The thought brings about irritation in the short girl as she can clearly remember Nami witnessing her not only taking out Buggy's crew before, but also freeing Luffy from busting a cage open – a steel cage too. Did she think that was just luck?

A soft scoff leaves Monalisa lips.

"Don't worry," Luffy folds his hands across his chest, giving Nami a grin which makes her falter for a moment. "Mona's strong. She got this."

* * *

Cracking her fingers, Monalisa tilts her head to the side as the lion stalks forward. She wonders what best way to knock the lion out without causing too much damage; he is far too cute to be beaten up anyway! It's one of the reasons why she didn't leave this to Luffy. He would have surely beaten the poor thing to a pulp. Don't even get her started on Zoro – the thought of the green haired man using his swords on the lion sends a shiver down her spine.

"Make sure to kill her slowly," Buggy yells. "She's the one that fired that Buggy Ball at us earlier!"

His words seem to spur the lion into motion as he lets out a mighty roar and charges toward the still contemplating Monalisa.

"Watch out!" Nami exclaims from somewhere behind Monalisa. She doesn't have time to bother with the orange-haired female at the moment though. Monalisa is far too busy with her thoughts. Raising a large paw, Richie goes to swipe at the short orange-head who in turn ducks from the attack, moving back. "A kick to the stomach? I'll have to watch how much force I use though..."

Richie growls and moves once more. A game of dodge takes place as Monalisa ducks away from every attack directed at her. Her eyes are slightly unfocused, as she tries to think of a suitable way to knock the adorable – he is so cute! – lion out.

"Stop playing around, Richie!" The words seem to snap the lion out of his frustration. Monalisa frowns when the lion pauses and seems to be taking a deep breath as if to calm himself.

"You behave much like a human," she says, and her eyes glint when Richie seems to understand that she is talking to him. "It's too cute!"

"She didn't just call that lion cute, did she?" Nami mutters.

The lion seem to pause at Monalisa comment but shakes his head as his glare returns, replacing his confusion. His claws that have been retracted, appear as he digs into the ground and tenses his body as if to pounce. The sight reminds Monalisa of a kitten (she really shouldn't be thinking of that right now).

Pushing off the ground, Richie leaps into the air and Monalisa narrows her eyes as his figure lands right on her, paws digging into her arms as his hind legs keep her feet from moving.

Nami lets out a yell at the sight and her shoulders slump. "We're so dead now..."

Monalisa winces as his claws dig deeper into her arms. Richie lowers his head to growl right in her face and he appears to be gloating.

"Atta boy, Richie!" Mohji cheers. "Finish her off!"

"Aren't you going to help her?" Nami snaps at Luffy who ignores the young woman, his eyes never leaving the sight of Monalisa pinned down. "Don't ignore me!"

Her eyes turn to the green-haired swordsman, who watches on silently. Clenching her fists, Nami looks back to the fight.

Closing her eyes, Nami takes a deep breath before gritting out, "Don't just lie there! Fight back!"

Monalisa glances to her side to catch Nami's eye and gives the young woman a wink.

"I was going to fight back even if you hadn't said anything, Red." Richie's growls stop as he finds himself being moved. Glancing down he gawks at the sight of Monalisa's clenched fists somehow managing to push themselves off the ground from beneath his claws.

"Hey, Richie was it?" Monalisa says softly. "Lean closer let me tell you something."

Most would think it is stupid to do such a thing, but the lion still does it anyway. With a look of confusion on his furred face, he leans down not expecting to be headbutted. The attack sends the lion stumbling which releases his hold on Monalisa hands. Not waiting for the pink lion to regain his bearings, Monalisa sits up fully and rolls out from underneath the large lion.

"I call this the 'Chokeslam'!" Monalisa now has a hold of the lions throat with one hand while standing to his right. Raising up the lion, the short girl slams him into the ground with so much force that it causes the ground beneath Richie's head to crack. The lion of course is knocked out, leaving his comrades to stare dumbfounded at his unconscious self.

"Richie!" Mohji shrieks, running forward to check on his pet.

"I didn't mean to use so much force," Monalisa says worriedly, wringing her hands. "Ah, I hope he isn't dead."

"Why you..." Mohji whirls on the short girl who looks at him and her expression changes. Although Monalisa holds a soft spot for animals – cute ones, mind you; pigeons and chickens _don't count –_ she holds none for this man.

She doesn't wait for the man to reach for the whip located on his belt and instead aims a kick at his head. Surprisingly, he catches it and she can't help the shock that crosses her face. A smirk appears on Mohji's face as he holds Monalisa's leg.

"Didn't think-"

"Enzuigiri!" Monalisa loves how flexible she is in this life. Dropping to her hands, she grits her teeth at the weight added to her wounded arms as her other legs moves up to kick the unsuspecting man on his chin. She's sure she broke his jaw as the man is sent back a few feet. He wobbles on his feet for a few moments and Monalisa prepares herself to attack once more when the man slumps to the floor.

"Way to go Mona!" Looking to her best friend she finds the man giving her a big grin with Nami letting out a sigh of relief beside him.

"I do try." With a flourish, she bows making Luffy giggle – he somehow manages to do this still and sound so cute too! Monalisa winces as the wounds on her upper arms call for notice. Her back as well hurts from being slammed into the ground like that.

"You're too soft," Zoro says, but he has a grin on his face as she makes her way over to them.

"I think I did swell."

"You fools!" The other underling snarls and Monalisa frowns at the sight of him coming toward them riding on a unicycle. His glare seems to focus on Monalisa as he moves toward them and the girl raises an eyebrow. "I am Captain Buggy's second mate, Cabaji. I'll make quick work of all of you!"

Zoro steps forward and Cabaji pulls out his sword and it collides with the green-haired swordsman's.

"If it's a sword fight you're looking for, I'm your man!" Zoro declares, eyes sharp as he doesn't back down from the force of Cabaji's sword.

"Zoro's got the weirdo with the scarf," Monalisa says, looping her arm around Nami's waist and begins to walk away. "Me and Red will go get the map and my axe. You guys look after that stuff."

Zoro grunts but doesn't look away from Cabaji as Luffy quickly gives his okay, his eyes never leaving the fight.

"What are you doing?" Nami snaps, trying to remove Monalisa's hold on her.

"Getting us to the tavern," Monalisa says simply. "I'm guessing that's where Buggy has the stash, so we'll go get the stuff."

"I don't need your help to do that," Nami says, glaring at the girl. "I can do it myself."

"So I'm guessing you can take care of any enemies you encounter?" Nami pauses as Monalisa releases her hold on the girl as they stop behind one of the houses, out of view. "Then I'll just leave you to that and I'll go get my bag."

She begins to walk away and Nami panics. "Wait!"

Monalisa pauses, a smirk appearing on her face as she looks back at the young woman. A scowl inhabits Nami's pretty features – and she is very pretty with her big brown eyes and full lips, short orange hair that frames her face. Nami mutters something under her breath and Monalisa can't help but tease her into repeating what she said.

"I said you can come!" She spins on her heeled sandal, making sure that Monalisa cannot see the blush on her face now and begins to walk away, ignoring the quiet chuckling coming from behind her.

* * *

 **Edited by myself and my beta (RosesToPaint) :)**

 **Monalisa's moves are actually wrestler moves. You can look them up if you want to XD**

 **Thanks to all the views and reviews and favorites and follows! You guys are seriously awesome!**

 **Next chapter will be out during June. See you then~!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

When Nami mentions that she is a 'professional' thief, she tells a surprised Monalisa to stand back and let her handle the getting into the building and not to get in her way. They must have chosen this place as their temporary holding place for their treasure instead of putting it on their ship. Nami doesn't waste time in entering the warehouse and this is when Monalisa decides to stop her.

"Since you got here safely, I'll just be on my way now." Turning around, the young girl begins to walk away before Nami stops her with a yell.

"W-what? Where are you going?"

Looking back over her shoulder, she finds that Nami has a look of worry on her face. Monalisa gets the idea that she's more worried for herself though. "Going to go back and get my bag."

"B-but you can't leave just yet!" Nami exclaims and the short girl raises an eyebrow at the young woman.

"You'll be fine," Monalisa assures her. "Most of his crew is out of commission, so I doubt there is anybody in there that you can't handle. You can handle yourself, right?"

"Of course I can," Nami huffs, crossing her arms across her chest. "I just need extra insurance, that's all."

"I think you'll be okay," Monalisa states dryly, turning away and once more ignoring Nami's cries. She's sure the young woman will be okay – Nami couldn't have survived this long as a thief if she can't at least protect herself for a little while – and there really is no reason for her to stick around, no matter how much she wants to witness the navigator's skills.

Avoiding the area where she can hear Zoro and his opponent, Monalisa retraces their steps to the demolished house. If it were any other bag, the young girl wouldn't even bother going back, but it was a good-bye gift from her mother. She can still recall falling victim to the awkward conversation she had had to endure.

She remembers how uncomfortable Dadan was and how she couldn't even meet her eyes. Monalisa had ignored the tears mostly because the woman would have denied ever crying and because she remembers there were also tears in her eyes.

 _"Take care of that. It's the last thing I have of your good-for-nothing father."_

Her words were rough and uncaring but Monalisa could detect the warm undertone – the fondness – for what must be her 'good-for-nothing' father. Her mother didn't speak of him often, and when she did, she would mostly ramble on about how the man had left before she was even born and had not once since contacted Dadan. Monalisa thinks that the woman has been hiding something – Dadan isn't a good liar at all – but she's kept her mouth shut and left it alone. It's not like she wants to know about a man who didn't want anything to do with her.

She doesn't need a father because she can remember the man that had raised her from birth on his own in her past life. Roger was the only father she needed for this life and for the next one.

Digging through the rubble, Monalisa spots the bag, quickly grabs hold of it and gets to her feet. She gives the bag a good shake to get some of the dirt off before she brushes off the rest. Checking the contents of the bag, she gives a nod. Her axe is indeed still inside the large bear. Monalisa slips the bag on and the comforting weight of it puts her at ease.

 _"Take care of yourself, Liz-gaki."_

 _"Keep that idiot safe!"_

" _Don't let Luffy get you into too much trouble!"_

 _"Watch each other's backs!"_

For some reason, thoughts of everyone's parting words has the young girl feeling nostalgic. Gripping the leather straps of the bag, Monalisa takes a deep breath before releasing it. Now isn't the time to think of that – she has to get back to Luffy and the others.

"Excuse me? I don't think you're from this island; are you a traveler?" The unfamiliar voice has Monalisa looking up to find that a man has appeared. She notices that he keeps his distance and doesn't make any attempt to come near. From his words, she guesses he's someone that lives here. She absentmindedly wonders where the rest of the townspeople are, and if they are hiding somewhere.

"Sort of." Deciding not to give out the wee-bit detail of her being a pirate, Monalisa relaxes her stance as she tries to make the man see that she isn't a threat. "I stopped by with some companions but we were side-tracked by some pirates."

"Oh my, you must have encountered the Buggy Pirates!" exclaims the man and Monalisa watches as he drops his guard and comes closer. Once again, she curses her short stature as she has to tilt her head up to meet the man's eyes. He's more than likely taller than Zoro too but his kind brown eyes make Monalisa think that this man would rather not even hurt a fly. "You don't seem old enough to be out at sea, though. How old are you, little girl?"

"My name's Monalisa, and I'm fifteen, sir." Her voice takes on a dry tone as she stares up at the man with a blank expression. "I assure you I'm no little girl."

"Fifteen is still a bit too young for you to be travelling by yourself though." His dark brows furrow. "Are you travelling with someone older, perhaps?"

"Yes." She wondered why the man is asking all of these questions and it seems he realizes why she is giving him an odd look as he takes a step back, raising his hands up in a placating manner.

"I'm prying. I'm sorry! My mother always said I was too curious for my own good." He gives a sheepish laugh while rubbing the back of his head. "My name is Richard. Nice to meet you, Monalisa-san."

"It's okay." Monalisa decides not to look too much into why on earth this person is being so open and writes it off as him being dense or perhaps too nice. "I should get going-"

Her eyes get a good look of Buggy the Pirate flying through the sky which strikes her speechless for a moment. His loud wailing can even be heard from all the way where she stands and Monalisa decides that this is her cue to head over to Luffy and the others. Looking back to Richard, she finds the man is also looking after the flying pirate with his mouth hanging open.

"I should get going. Bye!" She doesn't wait to hear his response and instead rushes off, cursing under her breath.

"Luffy, I hope you didn't leave me behind!"

* * *

When Monalisa finally arrives, she is met with a dejected Luffy holding onto his prized hat that has somehow been damaged. Beside him is Nami, who looks up just in time to see Monalisa coming to a stop before them. Her expression changes from one of surprise to anger and Monalisa watches as the young girl's face turns red.

"There you are! Where were you?" Luffy looks up and brightens upon seeing Monalisa who makes her way over to them, stepping over an unconscious Zoro.

"Like I said, I had to get my bag." Jutting her thumb out behind her, Monalisa points at the bag that is on her back. "You seem to still be in one piece, miss."

"One piece?" Nami snarls out and Monalisa can't help but think that this girl might have some serious anger issues. Why is she snarling at her anyway? "I'll have you know, I was nearly killed by that crazy clown pirate!"

"Really now?" The shorter female takes on one of disinterest causing the navigator's brow to twitch. Turning to Luffy, Monalisa says, "I'm guessing you were the one who sent him flying, Lu."

"Sure did!" chuckles Luffy, and he seems to have momentarily forgotten about his damaged hat. Then his face contorts and he shoves the hat into Monalisa's face. "Look what he did to Shank's hat, Mona!"

"Can't give a damaged hat to Shanks-san. Don't worry, we'll get it fixed somehow." Monalisa for once felt a little guilty for not taking those sewing lessons Makino was giving her seriously. It would have come in handy right about now, and now they'll have to find somebody willing enough to fix a pirate's hat.

Nodding with a frown to his lips, Luffy shoves the hat on top of his head before moving away from the two women and walking over to where Zoro lies. Kneeling down beside the green haired man, Luffy slaps at his face which has Monalisa wondering if he really does always try to get a rise out of the swordsman.

"Wake up, Zoro. We gotta go." It does the job of waking the man up though and yawning, Zoro sits up to look around blearily.

"Did you take care of things?" he asks the teen who nods his head in answer.

"We got everything so we can go now."

"I see." Collecting his swords and strapping them back into the green haramaki tied around his waist, Zoro tries to get to his feet. He stumbles and Luffy quickly catches him before he falls over. "I don't think I can walk right now," he groans out and Nami scoffs from beside Monalisa.

"Of course not. No ordinary human would even be conscious after what you guys did today. But you guys aren't human, are you?" Her words have not only Monalisa huffing in offense, but Luffy as well.

"Hey, don't lump me in with him!" Luffy protests, giving the girl a glare.

"You're even less human than he is!" Nami snaps.

"Can we just go? I need some sleep and to tend to these wounds too," Monalisa mutters, glaring down at the injuries on her hands. Hoping that they won't scar or something, she wonders if she'll have to get stitches too.

"Speaking of that, I gotta wake up the mayor!" Luffy says, reminding the others of the unconscious man that is lying not too far away. Quickly they make their way over, but don't get too far as a group of people head straight for them. Monalisa guesses that these are the civilians when she spots the man she met not too long ago in the crowd. Most of them are even armed, which of course makes not only Monalisa tense but her crew mates as well.

"Who are you guys?" One of the men has stepped forward, raising his weapon of choice up threateningly. "We are residents of this town."

Nami releases a breath of relief from beside Monalisa; but before the young woman can say anything, they are interrupted by the alarmed voice of another villager.

"Hey, it's the mayor!" They leave the four and head straight for the man, and Monalisa starts to get a bad feeling as they try to get the man to regain consciousness.

"It must have been those pirates who did this!" one of the people states, anger clear in his voice.

"Eh? No way, it was me. I knocked the old man out," sweet and innocent Luffy declares and Monalisa slaps a hand to her forehead in exasperation. His words have the civilians look at them once again and Nami lets out a squeak.

"They didn't need to know that, Luffy!" the young woman whispers harshly to the teen who only furrows his brow in confusion.

"You did this to the mayor? Who are you? Are you more pirates?"

"We are!"

"Dear Lord, forgive me for all the cursing I'm about to do!" Monalisa doesn't waste time and snatches up the bundle that Nami has been struggling with, grabs a hold of Luffy's hand and begins to run.

"You idiot!" Nami wails from behind as she follows after the short girl, who is cursing under her breath after shoving very forcefully through the crowd and heading for the docks. Zoro laughs from his place over Luffy's shoulder while the straw hat wearing boy can only try to keep up with his best friend and ahead of the mob of people running after them.

"This way!" she yelps, and Monalisa lets the girl take the lead. They turn into a tiny alley, racing past a familiar dog. Monalisa mournfully keeps her eyes to the front even when they jump over Chouchou and continue.

"That dog is stalling the townspeople," Zoro mutters, but the group doesn't pause until they finally make it to the docks. There their boat awaits, unharmed, and Nami releases a breath of relief.

"That was too close. Chouchou really saved us back there. Why are we even in this mess, anyway?" mutters the young woman, glaring at Luffy.

"What's done is done," Luffy says. "Hey, is that your ship?"

Monalisa notices the small ship beside theirs while Nami nods her head in answer.

"It looks great!"

"It's nothing; I stole them from some pirates." Monalisa wonders if Nami was the same girl those pirates were talking about and wonders where they had run off to. As if her thoughts summoned them, the three familiar pirates appear on the deck of Nami's stolen ship. They seem to have camped out waiting on the young woman and were happy to find that their wait was not in vain.

Before they can say anything, Monalisa releases Luffy's hand and her hold on the sack of treasure.

"I would like all three of you to get off this ship right now," Monalisa says. "We need it and if I have to use force to remove you, I will."

"Eh?" The ringleader steps off the ship and comes to stand in front of Monalisa. "What'd you say? It seems that muscle brain friend of yours is out of order at the moment, so what can a little girl like you do?"

"This," Monalisa says plainly and lands an uppercut with so much force that the man is knocked off his feet and he lands on his back unconscious. Looking to the two that are now staring at her in shock, the orange haired girl cracks her fingers. "Are you two going to get off or do I have to do the same to you too?"

* * *

There is a lot of things Richard is sure do not add up at this point. The fact that he met a young girl who - and he still can't wrap his mind around it - is a pirate. Then the part that she just left the island with her companions, leaving a sack full of money behind for God knows what – the islanders were already planning on using to rebuild the town. Not forgetting that they had also harmed the mayor, who is now waving off to them from the shoreline.

All of this really just doesn't make any sense to him - a lot to take in, really.

For some reason, his eyes meet with the young girl Monalisa who is waving to the mayor and he notices how she pauses for a moment before she raises her hands up to wave once more this time at him. Before he knows it, Richard is waving right back at the girl who sits in the small ship with the short orange haired woman.

They soon disappear behind the horizon and even when the other townspeople begin to turn in after the mess of events, planning to hold a celebration at the defeat of the awful pirate Buggy, Richard doesn't move and instead takes a seat at the port.

There are a lot of things that don't add up for the man that has lived for more years than his body lets on, but what really confuses this man is –

"Since when does Luffy have a 'Monalisa' on his crew?"

* * *

With the island having finally disappeared from their view, Monalisa releases a sigh while stretching her hands above her head. Luffy and Zoro are in their boat, with the rubber teen whistling a tune, apparently having forgotten that he was almost drowned by the woman that Monalisa now shares a ship with. Said woman is muttering to herself while she sorts through the money in her treasure sack.

Monalisa hadn't even noticed the extra sack until they already left the island and Nami was dunking Luffy for having left the money behind. Monalisa does feel a little guilty seeing as she was the one who dropped the sack and left it in Luffy's care when she was taking care of those pirates, but she decided to not voice this and let her best friend take the blame. He wasn't even angry and had stated the money was for the villagers, seeing as they did need it.

Tying the bandages a little tighter around her left arm, Monalisa meets Nami's gaze and raises an eyebrow at the young woman.

"Can I help you, Red?" She secretly likes that the nickname for some reason annoys the young woman, and decides to continue to call her that until she thinks of a better one.

"You can use the room since you said you're tired." Nami points to the small room behind them.

"Didn't know you cared so much," Monalisa teases causing the fellow orange-haired female to flush in embarrassment.

"Just go already!" Deciding not to anger her even more, Monalisa turns toward Luffy.

"Luff, I'm gonna go take a nap." The teen looks up and gives a thumbs-up with a grin and Monalisa narrows her eyes. "Behave yourself or else Zoro might throw you off the boat."

Said swordsman only grunts from his place where he's bracing his back against the boat, swords propped up beside him. Monalisa thinks that he's preparing for a nap himself.

Shutting the door behind her, Monalisa drops her bag onto the counter that is bolted to the wall of the small room and nestles down in the soft brown bags on the floor. She thinks that it may hold flour from the white powder that is on the bag.

Curling in on herself, it doesn't take the young girl long to fall asleep. Before she can slip off into dreamland, Nami's voice is heard arguing with Luffy. His voice carries well into the small storage room which may mean he's shouting. There's no way Luffy's toned down voice can reach in here from all the way in the next boat.

But then again, Luffy's toned down voice isn't that different from his shouting one.

"You can't eat a raw fish, idiot!"

"I can if I wanna!"

It seems the young woman is already settling in with the trio;, not that Monalisa minds. She just hopes the supposed navigator doesn't blow a gasket before they even hit the Grand Line.

* * *

 **#Edited**

 **Thanks to my beta, RoeseToPaint and additional help from AdorableRetard! Looking for awesome fics? These guys are your guys lol.**

 **Thanks to all the reviews, reads, follows and favorites! You guys are awesome :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

" _I got sunshine on a cloudy day~!_ " Nami's eyebrow twitches and Monalisa smirks at the sight, but makes no move to stop her singing.

The night had been quite uneventful on the boat with the young woman, which had left Monalisa to play twenty questions with an equally bored Luffy. Of course it didn't take long for the young captain to become bored of that game and demanded that Monalisa tell a story. The night had ended with the appointed story teller spinning a tale of a drunken pirate with questionable morals who had embarked on many adventures that earned him a reputation.

The next day had dawned and with it, Monalisa need to do _something_ and the young girl had decided that singing a few songs wouldn't hurt anybody. To both her surprise and amusement, it was quite annoying for the other occupant of the boat who didn't take to being awaken by the fast paced 'Livin' La Vida Loca'. Didn't help matters when Luffy joined in some parts of the many songs that he could remember.

"Do you only sing in English?" Asks the orange haired young woman, annoyed and Monalisa pauses at the question. When she had realized that English along with every language she could recall from her past life did indeed exist in this odd world, Monalisa had jumped at the opportunity to re-familiarize with her past life's spoken tongue.

"I know a bit of Irish from my mother," putting a finger to her chin, Monalisa's teal eyes roll upwards to look at the sky in thought. "Luffy also taught me a few phrases in Portuguese."

"Maybe Nami wants you to sing a song a different language, Mona," comes Luffy's voice from the other boat. "What about 'Bailando'?"

"Why didn't I think of that?" snapping her finger just as Nami releases a long suffering sigh which has Monalisa smirking just a bit.

" _Yo te miro, se me corta la respiración_..." _  
_

Most of the morning is spent like that until Zoro wakes up and Nami finally snaps and demands that Luffy and Monalisa to _just shut the hell up._ They finally dig into the bag of apples that had been in the small storage room on Nami's small ship, while the young woman went on about what exactly they were going to do next for their journey to the Grand Line.

"I hope you all know we won't ever make it on the Grand Line in this condition." Nami says, folding her hands across her chest. Her choice of statement has everyone going silent as they thought it over.

Monalisa of course knows that there was no way they could go to the Grand Line right now. There were many things that they'll have to get and of course crew members to cover the things most of the four people could not do. A ship as well along with enough money to cover their future expenses.

"You're right," Luffy speaks up, nodding his head in agreement. "We're going to need a whole lot of meat."

His statement has Monalisa's lips twitching into a smile because of course that's the first thing on the straw hat wearing teen's mind.

"Booze. We'll need booze, too." Zoro adds, biting into an apple with a thoughtful look on his face.

"You're all a bunch of idiots," Nami bluntly states, staring at them in disbelief. "That's not the first thing we need to worry about!"

"I'm guessing we'll need a proper ship along with at least a doctor and proper cook?" Monalisa finally says, hand to chin. "We'll also need someone who can handle fixing the ship if it gets damaged."

"Ah, yes," The young woman nods her head, agreeing with her fellow orange haired female. "That's exactly what we need. We need a ship and a few crew members to get started."

"Yes! A musician and a cook!" Luffy looks rather excited at the prospect. "We'll have to get a musician to keep us entertained and someone to cook great food!"

"A musician? Really?" snorts Zoro, clearly amused by his captain's choice.

"He's obsessed with them." Mutters Monalisa, looking to Luffy with a pout. "I can be the musician, you know."

"You're already the helmsman, plus you can't play instruments. You're voice isn't that good, either." Luffy's reasoning has Monalisa huffing while looking away muttering under her breath that he is no better.

Releasing a sigh, Nami looks down at the map she has been studying for a while now. "A little south of here is an island with some settlements. We might be able to get supplies and maybe a ship there."

"Yosh!" Luffy fist pumps the air, excitement clear in his gaze. Monalisa guesses the excitement is for getting to explore another island or it could be something else entirely.

"Fresh meat at last!" The teen adds on and Monalisa laughs a little into her hand, her guess had been right after all.

"Booze. Lots of it too." Zoro adds as well.

"A bath and new clothes." Says Monalisa who doesn't want to be left out and looking to the her fellow orange haired companion, she raises an eyebrow. "What about you, Nami?"

"Now isn't the time to think about such things." Nami gives the trio a glare. "We have better things to worry about right now."

Adjusting the sails, the four head south with a humming Monalisa, an annoyed Nami, an excited Luffy and a booze deprived Zoro. After a while, Monalisa moves to the storage room, away from the sun that has began to steadily climb up into the sky. There, she changes her bandages and looks over the injuries that Nami had helped her stitch up yesterday.

She doesn't believe there will be any scarring and wrapping the clean set of bandages around her arms, the girl settles in against the wall of the storage room and is lulled off into a nap.

Something tells her that she'll need all the strength she has to face whatever they'll have to face on that island. They haven't been getting good luck for landing onto some normal towns so far, which Monalisa knows is all because of Luffy's 'luck'. Ace had on more than one occasion told the girl of the things the little straw hat had gotten into on their many adventures in the forests back home.

 _"Somehow, he's always getting into all sorts of trouble." Ace glares at the sleeping boy and Monalisa lets out a soft laugh. "And I have to save him every single time."_

 _"He has terrible luck." Sabo says from his spot beside Luffy, head leaning on the wall behind him._

 _"His luck isn't terrible if he isn't hurt too badly, though." Monalisa has to stand up for the boy who has constantly been declaring himself her best friend._

 _"That's some fucked up luck." Ace mutters and receives a hit from the orange haired girl._

 _"Language."_

 _"Bite me."_

 _"I would, but last time you screamed like a girl."_

 _"I did not!"_

Maybe Ace really isn't so wrong in the aspect that Luffy's luck just happened to be a bit weird. She just hopes it doesn't end up with them being too hurt.

* * *

Nami basically tears the door down to get Monalisa up, who had fallen into a deep sleep, her voice shrill making the younger female startle out of her sleep. She barely stops herself from throwing the navigator off the boat, and instead settles to glare at her.

"We're here." Nami answers the silent question, and exists the room leaving a bleary Monalisa behind. Shaking her head and rubbing her eyes to rid herself from sleep, the curly haired girl makes her way out to find that her three companions are already out on the shore of the island.

From what Monalisa can see, it is mostly forests and a path just ahead that must lead to civilization. Following Zoro's example of stretching, Monalisa lets her eyes wander in search of any civilians, but finds none.

 _They must be a little way in, then._ Observes the young girl.

"It feels good to be on dry land again." Zoro speaks up and Monalisa has to agree with the green haired swordsman. She has given up the choice of living on land for a life at sea, something that Dadan had warned her about. She's prepared for the days when she wouldn't see land for days, but that didn't stop her from missing the stillness that is the earth.

"There's a small village on this island that we can stock up from." Nami says, looking down at the map in her hands. Monalisa recognizes it as the same map she had gotten from Shells Town. She had handed it over the young woman seeing as Nami is technically the person who navigates for them now, and she had been studying it ever since. It isn't much, but it would at least get them through the East Blue before they had to resort to the Grand Line map they had.

"That means there's meat!" Luffy cheers, eyes practically sparkling at the prospect. Monalisa notices the drool at the corner of his mouth and releases a sigh. Of course Luffy wouldn't be satisfied with just fruits - who would, anyway? - and would need his most favorite kind of food.

"Could you forget about food for just a minute?" Nami shoves the young captain away, wrinkling her nose at the sight of drool.

"That's like asking an alcoholic to stay away from alcohol," Monalisa comments dryly, tugging at Luffy's arm to get him to calm down. "not gonna happen, dear."

"Why would anyone stay away from alcohol?" Zoro snorts, folding his arms across his chest. Monalisa points a finger at the swordsman, while giving Nami a look that basically says 'See what I mean?'. The orange haired thief rolls her eyes, not bothering to say anything.

Monalisa doesn't know when it registers in her brain, but she finds herself turning to look back at their forested surroundings, hair on her neck stands up and teal eyes narrow.

 _We're being watched._

It seems Monalisa isn't the only one who feels the presence of someone watching them as Zoro shifts, hand resting on one of the swords that is strapped to his side. "Careful," the young man cautions attracting Luffy's and Nami's attention. "We're being watched."

"You think they have meat?" questions Luffy loudly, causing Monalisa's hand to twitch wanting to hit the teen.

Her ear twitches just as Luffy dodges the attacks that are aimed at his feet. She doesn't listen in on Luffy's impressed statements or Nami's worrying ones, but looks for where the attack came from. Her eyes zero in on a specific location in front of them, up on a hill behind some bushes just as loud cocky laughter is heard.

What looks to be like a young teen appears beside a flag of sorts that Monalisa realizes has been popping up around them. The skull and cross bones depict it as a pirate flag that looked a bit odd with it's gaping mouth.

The boy himself doesn't look like much of a threat with his trembling frame and long nose that Monalisa has to keep herself from laughing at. His scrawny frame that is hidden behind a pair of brown overalls has the young girl wondering if she could break him in half, and his round eyes even from here cannot hide the terror he must be feeling.

"I am Usopp!" He declares with much haughtiness in his tone. "Leader of the invincible nation of pirates who reign over this island! You stand before a mighty pirate that is revered as a legend across the world!"

"Woah! Awesome!" Of course Luffy, the simple-minded idiot that he is, is the only one to be both impressed and believing of the boy's words.

"You expect us to believe that?" Nami raises a disbelieving brow, arms crossed across her bosom.

"A-ah, she knows!" Usopp grabs his head, dropping his act completely.

"You're just helping her in solidifying that you're in fact lying." comes Monalisa dry tone, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Ack!" The long nosed teen yelps. "How could I fall for such a thing?"

"Wait," Luffy interrupts, eyes wide. "You were lying?!"

"You didn't know?" Zoro says in disbelief.

"You think you have me defeated?" Usopp points a finger at Nami, who just continues to stare disinterested. "I may of lied about my numbers of followers, but I still have great many men under my control!"

"I'm guessing three." Nami points to the six moving flags, a smirk on her lips and Monalisa watches as whoever carried them froze in their place. With yelps, three children jump out of the bushes, each holding two flags. The sight really makes Monalisa want to laugh, especially when they repeat their so-called 'captain' words.

"Ack! How could we fall for such a thing?" They say simultaneously and they run off, leaving a shocked Usopp behind.

"W-wait!" They do not even look back, and the teen turns to face the trio once more with his knees trembling. Luffy's laughter draws the teen's attention to look at him.

"You're funny!" Luffy says between fits of laughter. Monalisa doesn't think Usopp takes too kindly to this as he glares, raising his weapon that just happens to be a slingshot.

"Shut up or I'll make you! I'm a proud man and I ain't afraid of you!" He loads his green slingshot and aims it right at Luffy that has Monalisa narrowing her eyes. "You'll learn why they call me 'Proud Usopp' instead of 'Pushover Usopp'. I can rival any pistol you got."

Luffy moves forward, tilting his hat down. "Now that you've drawn your weapon, are you ready to use it?" Monalisa never takes her eyes away from the still trembling teen, but she can hear the smirk in Luffy's tone. Knows that he got this.

 _When doesn't he?_ She finds herself wondering, a small smile on her face.

* * *

It didn't take as long as Monalisa thought it would to make Usopp realize they weren't a threat. Surprisingly, Luffy knew of the long nosed sniper due to his time spent with the pirate 'Red-haired Shanks' and his crew. Supposedly, Usopp is the son of one of Shanks' men - Yassop, who just happens to be the sniper of the crew.

"You're Yassop's son, right?" Luffy has the teen falling over the hill, mouth gaping. Monalisa wonders if he doesn't feel pain from falling down, but she writes it off as Usopp being in shock.

"You're telling the truth." It isn't a question, and he gets to his feet mouth still hanging open. "H-how do you know about my dad?"

"You two can discuss this later." Nami interrupts impatiently. "Now, could you show us to the village?"

Monalisa watches as Usopp comes out of his shock and watches them warily. "You're not here to plunder the village, are you?"

"We would've already done that if we wanted to." Monalisa answers, a smile coming to her face when the teen releases a sigh of relief.

"Then I guess I can show you..."

And just like that, they had a guide to show them to the village. Mind you, it might have to do with the fact that Usopp really just wanted to learn more about Luffy and how he knew his dad. Something you can see really from the way he keeps to the straw hat wearing boy's side - it could also mean he thinks Luffy is the less threatening, which is really funny - and from the whispering between the two.

"I actually met your dad when I was a little kid." Luffy says around a mouthful of meat.

Usopp had led them to a restaurant in the small village where the five had taken over a booth. Luffy with Monalisa to one end while Nami sits with Zoro on the other, Usopp squeezing in between Monalisa and Luffy. Which really annoyed the young girl, but she pushes it away as the teen wanting to be close to Luffy to hear his story.

"Does my old man really know Shanks?" Usopp asks.

"Know him? Yassop doesn't just know him, he's apart of Shanks' crew!" Luffy answers, pausing in his eating to give Usopp a wide smile.

"I can't believe it," Usopp exclaims, staring down at his hands in awe. "My old man really is apart of a famous pirate crew."

Monalisa watches on in amusement as the two continue their talk, Luffy with his wild hand gestures trying to imitate a gun going off and Usopp's bright eyes and laughter. The sight really is something to witness - a boy proud of his father being a pirate. Monalisa is sure she has seen everything now.

"I'm real proud of my dad. He leapt into the life of a pirate sailing the seas. He chose a real life of adventure." Usopp says, and Monalisa purses her lips at the proclamation.

In a way, she finds herself thinking over the words. She had left the safety that Dadan and her small hut in the mountains provided to set sail with the danger of being a pirate just to quench her curiosity. Her past self didn't get the chance to do much of anything, and when she had seen the opportunity just a few months ago, Monalisa although reluctant at first, had jumped at the opportunity.

 _"You want me to come with you." Her voice sounds rather bland - giving nothing away. Really, she was freaking out._

 _She doesn't meet his eyes, drying her hands on the towel that rests in the white apron wrapped around her waist._

 _"Yeah!" Luffy has never had much teachings on personal space, so Monalisa doesn't shove his face back when he comes so close with his bright grin._

 _"You do know I'm barely fifteen."_

 _"You'll be sixteen in a few months."_

 _"Isn't there like an age range for when you want to set sail to a life of piracy?" Monalisa snorts, raising an eyebrow at Luffy's frown. "What? You think I'd just go along with you?"_

 _"Don't you want to go?" He has the short girl taking a step back, releasing a sigh._

 _"I do - but not as a criminal, Luff."_

 _"You're already a criminal, though." He does have a point - I am a bandit's kid and I do on occasion go out to steal but-_

 _"That's different, Luffy!" How does she begin to explain to this boy that his idea of what a pirate is, isn't what the world sees?_

 _"All I know is that Mona wants to see the world," Luffy says, folding his arms across his chest. "And the best way to see the world is by being a pirate."_

 _"How so?" She decides to humor the boy, shutting the water off and returning her attention to him._

 _"Because only pirates can get to be as free." Is his simple answer, and in a way she gets it. She gets what he's saying._

 _Being able to roam the world without any ties. Without having to listen to the many rules of what the world is known for having. Being able to see it all..._

 _Monalisa has always wanted adventure, and here she is getting a chance to do just that - explore this world. But at the cost of her being labelled a criminal? Was she that desperate for this?  
_

 _"I'll think about it."_

* * *

 **Surprise surprise surprise? Aahhh... New chapter and my excitement of hitting over six thousand views XD Thanks you guys!  
**

 **Thank you for all reviews, alerts, etc and I hope I'm doing this alright. My editing is a bit slow because myself and my beta we're a bit busy as I've told you before. I got a break and decided to post this chapter... Be prepared for the next chapter sometime mid July**

 **See you guys then!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

Usopp himself doesn't seem like a bad enough person, and Monalisa herself finds a genuine laugh bubbling from her lips from the long nosed sniper's reaction to Luffy's many stories of Yasopp. Monalisa notices how expressive he is - something that she notices reminds her of Luffy - and how his heart is worn on his sleeve. Not many people are like that in this world or the one before, but it is so much more prominent here.

Maybe it had something to do with the more violent and untrustworthy this world and its people are from the one before. Don't get her wrong, in her past life she has witnessed how shitty the life there was, but this place was more than different in appearance to the world before. It was on a whole other level when it came to just about anything - including the morality of people.

So it was really nice to find someone like Usopp - even if he was a bit odd. But then again readers, so are most people here, right?

"Hey, maybe you can help us." Nami's voice brings the young girl out of her thoughts and she looks to the young woman in question, wondering what she had missed. "Do you know of someone that could provide us with a decent ship? Or even anyone who could sail."

Usopp shakes his head, facial expression becoming apologetic. "You won't find any of that here." He pauses before looking out behind Monalisa towards the window. "But there is a place you can go to."

"Where?" Nami questions.

"There's a mansion up on that hill that a girl lives in. She's bedridden, though." He answers and Monalisa raises an eyebrow at his words.

"A young girl?" says the female, sharing a look with Nami before looking back to the sniper. "How come?"

Just as Usopp is about to begin his tale, Luffy's voice interrupts causing the two females and the long nosed sniper to look to him in annoyance.

"More meat please!" Luffy yells out to what can only be the waiteress. Monalisa glances to see the young woman is startled out of her job of collecting another customer's order by Luffy's loud voice.

"More booze too!" Zoro adds on, causing her to be startled once more and Monalisa releases a sight turning her gaze to the green haired swordsman. As if feeling her gaze on him, his dark eyes looks to her and he raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"Are you going to listen to the story?" Usopp snaps from beside her, and she guesses he's annoyed by their lack of attention which has her placing a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Don't worry about them," Monalisa uses her other hand to wave dismissively. "Tell your story."

"A-alright," Usopp blinks and opens his mouth to speak again, more than likely to begin his tale when he's interrupted once more.

"Waiteress-san can you bring a parfait too?" Raising her hand and waving to garner the waitress' attention, Monalisa raises her voice over talking Usopp. The teen's eyebrow twitches, glaring at the orange haired female who innocently stares right back at him.

"Sorry. Please continue." Releasing a sigh of exasperation, Usopp once again begins his story with Nami and Monalisa being the only two to listen in while Luffy with Zoro await for their orders to be delivered.

"About a year ago, a girl's parents became sick and passed away. They left her with a huge inheritance, a mansion, and a dozen or so servants." Usopp says, and Monalisa watches the faraway look his eyes take on quietly. The teen is more than likely recalling something related to the poor girl and she wonders if he's acquainted with her.

"She's rich and lives a life a luxury but... nobody can be as unfortunate as her right now." He mutters under his breath.

"To have lost one's family," Monalisa places her chin in the palm of her hand, looking out the window beside her in thought. "I'd say she's anything but happy right now."

Her half lidded eyes turn when Nami slams her hands onto the table and she stares at the young woman whose hair has come to overshadow her eyes.

"Forget it." The orange haired woman's voice is quite emotional and Monalisa raises an eyebrow at the sound of anger in her tone. "We're not getting a ship here. We'll find another town or island to get that. We'll just focus on supplies for the trip."

"Do I sense pity in your tone, Red?" Monalisa lets a dry smirk pull at the corner of her lips as the woman turns to glare at her. "We'll pay for the ship if we have to from the girl and be on our way if that's what you're worried about."

"Pay with what exactly?" Her tone darkens and Monalisa cannot hide the amusement she feels at the woman's sudden mood change. "I'm sincerely hoping it's not the money I got you're speaking of, Monalisa."

"What else would I be speaking of, Red?" Tilting her head to the side but not removing her chin from her palm, Monalisa blinks innocently up at Nami who has come to stand from her seat. "You do know that that money isn't all yours, right?"

"What?" Nami snarls, fists clenching at her sides while her brown eyes glare fiercely down at an unperturbed Monalisa who just continues staring up at her innocently.

"You heard me."

Before the navigator can say anything else, Usopp jumps in looking quite scared at the turn of mood.

"U-uh, by the way," He says gaining even Luffy's and Zoro's attention who hadn't even looked up at Monalisa's and Nami's little conversation. "You guys said you're looking for crew members too, right?"

"That's right." Luffy answers, eyes glinting and Monalisa supposes he's excited at the thought of gaining someone else more on his crew.

Puffing out his chest while pointing a finger at himself with a grin taking to his thick lips, Usopp says, "Then I'm your man!"

"No thanks." Everyone else says together, staring blankly at the teen who deflates at their quick response.

"At least thinks about it..." Usopp mutters and Monalisa chuckles softly at the sight of his pout, but says nothing when he looks to her questioningly.

Pursing his lips, Usopp picks up his bag and looks ready to leave. "I guess it's time for me to go, anyway." He states, getting to his feet. "Maybe I'll see you guys around before you leave."

"Bye, Usopp!" Luffy calls after the long nosed teen and Monalisa watches as he exits the restaurant leaving the trio alone. Finally, their second orders arrive and Luffy rubs his hands together at the platter placed in front of him while Monalisa picks up a spoon to dig into her dessert.

Placing a spoonful of the ice cream into her mouth, Monalisa glances at an unusually quiet Nami who is studying the map once more. She wonders if the woman had forgotten their earlier argument, but she doesn't think so. Nami more than likely will bring it back up once she's ready.

Taking her gaze off of her fellow orangette, Monalisa turns her attention to Zoro who has another cup of ale in his hands. The green haired swordsman had been awfully quiet throughout their conversation with Usopp, but she thinks it has something to do with the alcohol he has been so lovingly consuming ever since they got here.

"Ne Zo-chan, you have a high alcohol tolerance, huh?" The wooden cup pauses at Zoro's lips, as he glances at the female. Her chin has returned to the palm of her hand, and that mischievous smile is again on her face. The smile widens when he glares at her and rests his cup down.

"Don't call me that." Is all he says before picking back up the cup and turning away from the young girl. Monalisa pouts minutely and returns her gaze to the half eaten parfait in front of her.

"Usopp's pirates are here!" A voice that sounds a bit too young declares and Monalisa pauses in the eating of her dessert to glance to the side. Three young boys stand facing the four pirates holding wooden swords and Monalisa raises an eyebrow at the display.

"Seems we have company." The young girl announces to her companions, who have all turn to look to the trio of young boys.

"Who are they?" Nami furrows her brows in confusion.

"From their words, I'm guessing these are the three that was with Usopp earlier." comments Monalisa and Nami glances at the girl. Licking her spoon clean, Monalisa puts it into the now empty glass. "They must have thought something happened to him."

"Give us back our captain!" They shout together. Nami and Monalisa share a look of confusion before looking back to the young children.

"That meat was delicious!" Luffy declares with a content smile, while giving his round stomach a rub. He seemed oblivious to their current plight, but Monalisa knows that with food involved, Luffy doesn't really pay attention to anything else.

"M-meat?" Whispers the one with pink hair, looking horrified.

"They- They... They ate the captain..." Biting her lip, Monalisa keeps herself from laughing especially when she spots the identical looks of mischief on Nami and Zoro's faces. She doesn't think her companions had any intention of correcting the three kids.

"You're looking for your captain?" Zoro leans over the table, voice eerie that has the children startling.

"What... what did you do to him?"

A grin that looks a bit too scary for the kids comes to the swordsman's lips and in the same eerie tone the male declares, "We ate him."

That did it, and the trio release a shrill scream and turns to Nami. "Ogres!"

"Why are you looking at me?" snarls the orange haired female, and Monalisa can no longer contain her laughter. The three children all pass out which also has Zoro in a fit of laughter and Nami turns to glare at the two. "It's not funny!"

Yes, it was - to the two of them anyway.

* * *

"So you didn't eat him?" They looked so suspicious that Monalisa cannot help but laugh, but she quickly hides it in a cough as Nami gives her a warning glance.

After their revival courtesy of a highly amused Zoro, the four pirates had gone on to apologize - Monalisa really, Nami nor Zoro had any of intentiondoing it, much less Luffy - for their little joke. It is not so surprising that the children don't believe their words.

"Of course not." Nami says. The sour navigator goes onto comment, "And I'm not an ogre."

"So where is he?" asks the one with purple hair so long that it covered his eyes.

"He brought us here for a bite to eat, stayed a little and then got up saying he was late for something." Monalisa answers, amusement dying down.

"Late for something?" Repeats the trio, and the pirates watch on as realization quickly took over the children's facial expressions. "Then he's at the mansion!"

This piques Monalisa's interest and the girl says, "The mansion? The one where the sick girl lives?"

"Yeah!"

"Why would he go there?" Luffy asks, speaking up after being oddly quiet for a while.

"To tell lies!" The three boys say a little two excitedly, big grins on their faces. Monalisa raises an eyebrow at their answer and quietly wonders what could be so good about telling a sad sick person lies.

"That's not nice." Luffy says frowning.

"Yes it is!" The one with glasses protests. He seems to pause as if to question his own answer before adding on a little quietly, "It is... right?"

"Yeah! It is!" The other one with dark green hair that was shaped a bit oddly assures him. It reminds Monalisa of peppers, and she silently nicknames the young boy just that - Pepper.

"He doesn't tell bad lies, he tells good ones." They go on. "Like when he told you guys he was a pirate; he lied so that he could protect the village!"

"I didn't know there were good and bad lies." Monalisa mutters dryly, a slight quirk to her lips but everyone ignores her in turn of listening to the trio's story.

"The girl at the mansion was sick ever since her parents died. It wasn't from any illness, though," Pepper explains. "It was because she was sad that they died and because she's lonely. Captain sneaks up there to tell her stories which makes her laugh. She forgets about her illness when that happens so the Captain always goes up there everyday to cheer her up."

 _How interesting..._ Monalisa muses. _Telling stories to help a sick girl? That's something I haven't heard of before._

"So he's a nice guy!" Luffy grins and the young girl couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friend's simple-mindedness.

 _Leave it to Luffy to hear one good thing and he thinks that describes a person._ Monalisa sighs fondly with a faint smile. _Although, this does say a lot of about Usopp's character._

 _"You were nice to me so I wanna be your friend!"  
_

"Maybe Usopp isn't such a wimp after all." Monalisa comments, smile still on her face at the happy memory.

"Telling make believe stories to a sick girl? And how long has been doing this?" Nami questions.

"A year now!" chirps the three boys.

"A year and he hasn't gotten tired yet?" Monalisa senses a underlying tone of respect in Nami's voice, but doesn't question why it's there.

"That's right!"

"That's one of the things I like about the Captain!" The one with glasses says with a smile. "That and the fact he's a meddler!"

"I like the fact that he's bossy!" chimes in Pepper.

"I like that he's so boastful but can't back up most of the things he boasts about!" says the one with purple hair.

"He's got a lot of good qualities." Zoro says confusedly.

 _What exactly are the good things?_ Monalisa can read from his expression as he looks to Luffy who shrugs his shoulders in response.

Luffy then turns to the trio, a knowing look that his closest friend spots almost immediately on his face. "Then the girl isn't so sad now, right?"

"That's right! All thanks to our Captain!"

Luffy gets to his feet and Monalisa releases a groan that has Nami looking to her confusedly for. She doesn't respond and instead gestures to Luffy with the back of her hand as her head hits the table.

"That settles it! Let's go ask her for a ship!"

 _How did I know this was coming?  
_

The rightful answer to our dear protagonist is of course -

 _"You know him so well."_

* * *

 **A short chapter but really the whole Usopp arc is a bit long for me to just narrate into like three chapters. This is going to last for another three more chapters I think, but please bear with me and then we'll be off to see Sanji :D  
**

 **A lot of love I wanna send out to all the reviewers and favorites and follows I've been receiving - not forgetting the views! OMG.. I do hope you guys are at least satisfied with this last minute put together story aha XD**

 **Please do review and tell me your thoughts on just about anything - Monalisa's character, her interactions, the odd way I have of addressing the audience during chapters... Anything is fine :)**

 **Next chapter will be until July month end or early August... hopefully I get the time to post it early. .**

 **See you guys later~**


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